February 2019 Murfreesboro Pulse

Murfreesboro Rescue Mission to Provide Homeless Shelter Local Entrepreneurs Grow Willow Balm Into National Brand

FEBRUARY 2019 / VOL. 14, ISSUE 2 / FREE

Lone Star Rodeo Brings Action to Town on March 2 Enchanted Planet Relocates Hippie Shop to Broad Street

Exuberant Distraction Arts Center of Cannon County Displays Paintings by J. Oliver Langston

IN MUSIC

FOREVER ABBEY ROAD / MURFREESBORO SYMPHONY / BONNAROO / JACKILLACS / SKEETZO N’ KRYSIS & MORE!

Contents ON THE COVER: ARTWORK BY J. OLIVER LANGSTON

14

39

38 FEATURES

IN EVERY ISSUE

10

5 Events

BONNAROO

2019 festival featuers Phish, Post Malone, Childish Gambino and more.

14

NATURE’S ASPIRIN

Middle Tennessee entrepreneurs grow Willow Balm into national brand.

18

RESCUE MISSION

Group aims to bring first permanent homeless shelter to Murfreesboro.

36

ENCHANTED PLANET

Murfreesboro hippie shop relocates to new Broad Street building.

38

LONE STAR RODEO

Miller Coliseum hosts bulls, broncs, barrel racers and more, March 2.

39

BRENNAN M McDANIEL

Local high school powerlifter sets age-group record in competition.

CALENDAR Community Baby Shower, Old Time Jam, Valentine’s Expo

8 Sounds

MUSIC NOTES Forever Abbey Road, Kirkwood Secret Shows, and more!

CONCERTS Seth Timbs, Robyn Taylor The Hardin Draw and more!

ALBUM REVIEWS The Jackillacs, Skeetzo N’ Krysis

14 Living GARDENING Prune trees carefully LIVE . . . WELL! The essence of love

22 Food RESTAURANT Pho Viet Advertising: Don Clark, Leslie Russell-Yost Art Director: Sarah Mayo

Publisher/Editor in Chief: Bracken Mayo

Copy Editor: Steve Morley

24 Art

EXHIBITS Oliver Langston, Gloria Baker Feinstein, Boro Art Crawl THEATER Junior Theater Festival, Cabaret the Musical POETRY Poetry in the Boro at MLT on Feb. 10

32 Movies REVIEWS Crazy Rich Asians Vice

NEW RELEASES Arctic, Lego Movie 2, How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World and more!

34 News

BUSINESS BUZZ Tasty Table, Olive Branch Bakery, Nonie’s HomeGoods, Aspiring Health, Crab Fever, Yoki Bufft and more!

Contributors: Jennifer Durand, Jordan Hall, Joseph Kathmann, Laura Lindsay, Rick Malone, Zach Maxfield, Edwina Shannon, Jay Spight, Andrea Stockard, Ladiah Marche Thomas, Semaj Thomas, Phil Valentine, Kory Wells, Andrew Wigdor, Michelle Willard

PETE DOUGHTIE Local newspaperman kept important conversations going.

40 Sports

RUCK NUTRITION Local trainer Charles Rucker launches his own supplement brand.

MTSU SPORTS Lady Raiders continue winning ways.

SPORTS TALK Brady cements his place as the GOAT.

43

Opinion PHIL VALENTINE Hatred of Trump causes many liberals to expose their insanity.

SPIRITUAL MATTERS

A loving offense RECOMMENDED READING Ecce Deus

Copyright © 2019, The Murfreesboro Pulse, 10 N. Public Square, Murfreesboro, TN 37130.

Proudly owned, operated and published the first Thursday of each month by the Mayo family; printed by Franklin Web Printing Co. The Pulse is a free publication funded by advertisers. Views expressed in the Pulse do not necessarily reflect the views of the publishers. ISSN: 1940-378X

10 N. Public Square, Murfreesboro, TN 37130 • 615-796-6248

THANKS FOR LOOKING AT ANOTHER ISSUE of the Murfreesboro Pulse. The paper always remains free for you to pick up. Also, find all Pulse content archived and available at boropulse.com—never a paywall, a request to purchase a subscription or annoying pop-up ads!

This is free for you, thanks to our great group of sponsors. Go and see these guys! Bring your business to those who support local culture and invest back into the community.

I thoroughly enjoy the steak and bacon-wrapped asparagus from CJ’s, wings and pizza from Station Grill, macarons and salad from Simply Pure, sopes and enchiladas from Carmen’s, chicken parm from The Alley, something with carrots and ginger from Juice Bar, a delicious chicken piccata or veal milano or grilled salmon from Milano, some raspberry vinaigrette or garlic olive oil from Epicurean, a sandwich and brew from The Green Dragon, that hot (but not hella hot) chicken from Helen’s or that wonderful chili verde or a pollo santa fe from Nacho’s. If you need food for a large gathering, give the Chilito team a try.

It’s an excellent start to the day to breathe in some of Melaleuca’s essential oil respiratory blend, called Vapor (sign up to the wellness program with Mr. Harry Ballard), and to then prepare a nice French press of the fine Fox and Goat coffee.

I try and stay active by climbing those walls at the Ascent, using the weights, machines, treadmills and sauna at the Murfreesboro Athletic Club, and by moving, balancing and flowing with Jim Genet. A cool glass of kombucha from Float Alchemy refreshes after a good workout; consider scheduling a massage there, or at Nurture Nook, Balance Anew or Wand and Willow, to further assist with recovery and relaxation.

Murfreesboro Aviation will take you on a thrilling experience flying high above Murfreesboro.

Find an abundance of supplements and natural products and snacks at Sunshine Nutrition, hair services from Nexgen or Joel Goode, pet care from Doggie’s Day Out, a bottle of Tennessee wine from the Big Creek Winery Tasting Room, furniture from Smart Buys, or hop on Rover if you need a ride.

Make sure you make arrangements, well before the time comes, for the good folks at Woodfin Funeral Chapels to handle your memorial ceremony.

If you need computer repair, go see Compumax; find event space for meetings, banquets and presentations at Carriage Lane Inn; Holmes & Swafford and Contract Management Services provide quality business services; for AV needs, contact Austin Audio or Audio Visual TN. I am not personally a student at Bill Taylor’s Bushido School of Karate, but I do get a kick observing Bracken Jr. and all of the other hardworking young students spar and run their katas.

Three Rivers Family Dentistry will help you with your dental needs, and quality home services are provided by P&Q (junk pickup), Tedder (HVAC), Tri Star (pressure washing) and Affi (pest control).

To be continued . . .

To carry the PULSE at your business, or to submit letters, stories and photography: bracken@boropulse.com

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Peace, BRACKEN MAYO Publisher/Editor in Chief

Events

CALENDAR / FEBRUARY 2019

BY ANDREA STOCKARD

FEB. 6

FEB. 9

WELCOME TO THE WILDERNESS

ADAPT TENNESSEE

The Wilderness Station at Barfield Crescent Park (697 Veterans Pkwy.) presents Welcome to the Wilderness on Wednesday, Feb. 6, from 9:30–10 a.m., for ages 1–4 accompanied by an adult. Introduce your child to the wonders of nature with each week featuring an adventure starting with unique songs and a discussion about the animal of the week. Each topic is reinforced with a simple craft and a nature hike or fun activity. Learn about the wonderful, wacky wildlife that lives in Tennessee. Registration is required. Please call before the class to register at 615-217-3017. Cost is $3 per person. For more information, contact outdoormurfreesboro@murfreesborotn.gov.

FEB. 7 DR. RISHI SAXENA BOOK SIGNING Linebaugh Public Library (105 W. Vine St.) welcomes local author Dr. Rishi Saxena for a book signing on Thursday, Feb. 7, from noon–2 p.m. Saxena signs and sells copies of Investing Roadmap for Secure Retirement, published independently in May 2018. This financial management guide is a result of more than 20 years of investing in equities, fixed income and real estate, and is a no-nonsense guide. Learn to avoid road mines that will derail your future and negatively affect your retirement portfolio growth. Dr. Rishi Saxena is a cardiology specialist in Murfreesboro who has been practicing for over 33 years. For more information, call 615893-4131 or visit rclstn.org.

FEB. 7 BE A TOURIST IN YOUR OWN TOWN Ginna Foster Cannon with Rutherford County Convention and Visitors Bureau and Director of Cultural and Heritage Tourism, share some highlights and must-see places in beautiful Murfreesboro at St. Clair Senior Center, Room S104 (325 St. Clair St.) on Thursday, Feb. 7, from 10–11 a.m. For more information, call 615-848-2550.

FEB. 7 AND 21 OLD TIME JAM The biweekly Murfreesboro Old Time Jam is from 6–8 p.m. at Mayday Brewery (521 Old Salem Rd.) Thursdays, Feb. 7 and

FEB. 9 ANNUAL COMMUNITY BABY SHOWER The Rutherford County Health Department hosts the Annual Community Baby Shower in partnership with United Way of Rutherford and Cannon Counties at Patterson Park Community Center (521 Mercury Blvd.) on Saturday, Feb. 9, from 10 a.m.–1 p.m. in the Adult Gym. The free event is geared towards the benefit, education and health of expecting mothers and families with babies newborn to 6-months old and will include 40+ vendors, door prizes, medical screenings, car steat safety checks adn more. First 300 attendees will receive gift bags that include diapers, wipes, onesies, blankets and bottles. No registration required. For more information, call 615-898-7885.

21, and the second and fourth Thursday of every month, from 6–8 p.m. All string players are welcome, acoustic instruments only, no drums. All ages are welcome. The focus is on pre-bluegrass-era string band music. Spectators are welcome, and admission is always free. For more information, visit maydaybrewery.com.

FEB. 9 CITY SCHOOL JOB FAIR Join the Murfreesboro City Schools Job Fair at Scales Elementary School (2340 St. Andrews Dr.) Saturday, Feb. 9, from 9:30–11:30 a.m. Dress for a successful interview and bring résumé material. For more information, visit cityschools.net.

Join the ADAPT Team for an educational night based on the science of a low-carb/ keto lifestyle on Saturday, Feb. 9, at 9 a.m. at Patterson Park Community Center (521 Mercury Blvd.). Metabolic disease, type 2 diabetes and obesity affect millions of people, and diet plays a huge role in those conditions. Topics covered include the science of carbohydrate and fat metabolism, insulin resistance, inflammation and chronic metabolic disease and how a keto or low-carb lifestyle is easy to sustain for a lifetime. Presentations at 9 a.m. For more information, call 615-396-1013, or visit the Tennessee ADAPT Facebook page or adaptyourlife.com.

FEB. 9 MASTER FOOD VOLUNTEERS Linebaugh Public Library welcomes the Rutherford County Master Food Volunteers for a series of classes the second Saturday of every month at 10 a.m. The Master Food Volunteers of Rutherford County is a group of Extension Family and Consumer Sciences helpers who educate the communities about healthy foods, and skills such as planning meals, shopping, cooking and safe food handling. The series runs through July (excluding April). February’s topic: Smoothies. Classes are in the club room on the first floor of the library and are free and open to the public (105 W. Vine St.). For more information, call 615-893-4131 or visit rclstn.org.

FEB. 7

FEB. 9

BOY SCOUTS ROUNDTABLE

PRINCESS DAY AT OAKLANDS

The Trail of Tears District with Middle Tennessee Council of Boy Scouts of America holds a district roundtable (open to all Scout volunteers and parents) the first Thursday of the Month at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church (315 E. Main St.). Network with experienced leaders and learn new tricks to help deliver a quality experience for your Scouts.

For more information, visit mtcbsa.org.

Wear your favorite dress or princess costume to the Oaklands exhibit Saturday, Feb. 9, from 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Tickets are $10 each with ages 5 and under free, and include admission to the wedding dress exhibit and princess crafts. For more information, contact 615-8930022 or mb@oaklandsmansion.org or visit oaklandsmansion.org.

FEB. 8

FEB. 9

FEB. 12

CHINESE CELEBRATION AT BORO ART CRAWL

LADIES VALENTINE’S EXPO

RUTHERFORD CABLE FEBRUARY MEETING

For the second consecutive year, the Center for Chinese Music and Culture hosts the Chinese Dragon Dance in celebration of the lunar New Year at the Murfreesboro Downtown Square on Friday, Feb. 8, at 6 p.m. This tradition stretches back to the Han Dynasty. Admission is free. For more information, call 615-904-8121.

 To read about local events online, visit BOROPULSE.COM/EVENTS

The Ladies Valentine’s Expo is a fun, free shopping event at Lane Agri-Park Community Center (315 John R. Rice Blvd.) on Saturday, Feb. 9, from 11 a.m.–4 p.m., featuring thousands of LuLaRoe pieces alongside other vendors. The event features over a dozen giveaways throughout the night. For more information, visit the “Ladies Valentine’s Expo!” Facebook page.

FEB. 11 IN THE GARDEN Join Master Gardener Emeritus Jack Smith at St. Clair Senior Center, Room S104, on Monday, Feb. 11, from 10–11:30 a.m., as he gives the scoop on what’s new for gardening in 2019. For more information, call 615-848-2550.

Rutherford Cable (10 Years of Women Moving Forward) will feature Marina Davis at its February breakfast meeting. Davis has worked with thousands of leaders and teams as a facilitator, coach, consultant, mentor, teacher and confidante, and she is currently the director of organization and talent development for CBIZ Benefits and CONTINUED ON PAGE 6 BOROPULSE.COM

* FEBRUARY 2019 * 5

Insurance Services as well as an adjunct professor at Northwestern University. The meeting begins at 7:15 a.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 12, at Stones River Country Club (1830 NW Broad St.). For more information, visit rutherfordcable.org or contact yourrutherfordcable@gmail.com.

on after someone dies and handling their belongings. Tickets are $20 per person and can be purchased at oaklandsmansion. org, in the museum gift shop during regular business hours or by calling 615-8930022. For more information, contact mb@ oaklandsmansion.org.

FEB. 12

FEB. 19

RUTHERFORD ARTS ALLIANCE

LAWN AND GARDEN CLASSES

The public is invited to join Rutherford Arts Alliance on Tuesday, Feb. 12, from 4–6 p.m., at Carpe Artista in Smyrna (101 Front St.). Rutherford Arts Alliance is an advocacy group of community volunteers dedicated to identifying, uniting and promoting arts, culture, and heritage in Rutherford County. For more information, contact 615403-7161 or rucoartstn@gmail.com.

FEB. 13 LIVING SENT LUNCHEON Join the Living Sent Luncheon at the Experience Church (521 Old Salem Rd.) on Wednesday, Feb. 13, at 11:30 a.m.

Takisha Brommel, of Girl Friday Business Solutions, will deliver the God story. Jane Sharp, co-founder of Greenhouse Ministries, is the application speaker. Living Sent encourages area business leaders to live out their Christian faith through their businesses to help build the kingdom of God, and to connect Sunday to Monday.

For more information, visit livingsentministries.org.

FEB. 13 ST. CLAIR POOL TOURNAMENT See how your talent measures up in St. Clair Senior Center’s (325 St. Clair St.) monthly 8-Ball pool tournament Wednesday, Feb. 13, from 9 a.m.–noon. The deadline to sign up is 8:45 a.m. the morning of the event. Everyone is welcome. For more information, call 615-848-2550.

FEB 14 LOVE SONGS THROUGH THE MOVIES Spend Valentine’s Day with the Murfreesboro Symphony Orchestra as the string section entertains you with “Love Songs Through the Movies” at First United Methodist Church (265 W. Thompson Ln.) at 7 p.m. For tickets or more information, call 615-898-1862, or visit murfreesborosymphony.com.

FEB. 15 VALENTINE DANCE AT ST. CLAIR SENIOR CENTER Celebrate Valentine’s Day with St. Clair Senior Center (325 St. Clair St.) a day late, Friday, Feb. 15, from 6–9 p.m. in Rm. 6 * FEBRUARY 2019 * BOROPULSE.COM

Extension Agent Mitchell Mote teaches free lawn and garden classes at the Lane AgriPark (315 John R. Rice Blvd.) on Tuesday, Feb. 19 (Lawn and Landscape Class) and Tuesday, March 5 (Correct and Accurate Pesticide Usage Class). To make a reservation, call 615-898-7710.

FEB. 19 NAME THAT TUNE

FEB. 22–24 SOUTHERN EQUINE EXPO The Tennessee Miller Coliseum (304 W. Thompson Ln.) hosts the 2019 Southern Equine Expo Feb. 22–24. Doors open at 9 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 22, with the first round of the Colt Starting Challenge at 10 a.m. Attendees have the opportunity to shop from a wide variety of vendors. Doors open at 8 a.m. Saturday where the Challenge continues throughout the day with exciting clinics, hands-on demonstrations, interactive displays and educational lectures from industry leaders. View horse breeds and equine athletes representing a variety of different disciplines.

Sunday morning begins with Cowboy Church. For more information, call 615-9623655 or visit southernequineexpo.com.

S105 with a variety of dance music provided by the Uptown Country Band, which plays much more than country music. Light refreshments provided. For more information, call 615-848-2550.

FEB. 15 FIBER ARTS MEETUP Murfreesboro’s Fiber Arts Meetup meets Friday, Feb. 15, from 1–3 p.m., over lunch at Simply Pure Sweets (118 N. Walnut St.) to build friendships and work on charity projects. Have fun knitting, crocheting and quilting with thread, needles and yarn to help neighbors in need. Make afghans for the veterans, blankets for Murfreesboro Cold Patrol, teddy bears for foster children or Project Linus and more. The group meet every two weeks on Friday. For more information, call 615-962-8086.

FEB. 15 “COON” VICTORY SERVICE AWARD BANQUET The 2019 Kenneth “Coon” Victory Lifetime Service Award Banquet honors Bill Jordan, Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient, along with awards for young leader of the year, coach of the year, parent of the year, volunteer business of the year and athletic league volunteers of the year. The Smyrna

Event Center (100 Sam Ridley Pkwy. E.) hosts the event on Friday, Feb. 15, with dinner at 6:30 p.m. with the program following at 7 p.m. Tickets are available at the door for $10 each. For more information, visit townofsmyrna.org/home.

FEB. 17 WEIGHT LOSS MYTHBUSTERS Join Patterson Park Community Center (521 Mercury Blvd.) on Sunday, Feb. 17, at 2 p.m. for Weight Loss Mythbusters, a fastpaced two-hours of information, recipes and delicious samples to get you fired up about a healthy, maintainable weight loss plan. Admission is $25 or $40 for you and a friend. For more information, contact sharon@studioveg.com.

FEB. 19 GETTING RID OF JUNK WITHOUT DESTROYING HISTORY Author Lucinda Poole Cockrell joins Oaklands Mansion’s “Wedding Dresses Through the Decade” (900 N. Maney Ave.) on Tuesday, Feb. 19, at 2 p.m., to discuss her book How to Weed Your Attic: Getting Rid of Junk Without Destroying History.

Afterwards Cockrell signs books in the gift shop, with books available for purchase.

This book provides answers to moving

How knowledgeable are you about music from the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s? This fun, active brain game at St. Clair Senior Center, Room S104 (325 St. Clair St.) Tuesday, Feb. 19, from 11 a.m.–noon, challenges music lovers with questions about songs and musicians we all know and love. Small prizes are awarded. For more information, call 615-848-2550.

FEB. 21 THE CONNECTION Local small business owners will gather for The Connection: An Evening of Professional Networking and Business Brainstorming from 5–7 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 21, at CJ’s, 352 W. Northfield Blvd. All Middle Tennessee entrepreneurs and professionals are welcome to attend this casual, free, no-obligation event, where they can meet other small business owners and tap into one another’s experience and energy. A discussion will encourage participation from those in attendance, asking them to articulate their vision for their business and calling for examples of some of the business challenges and solutions they are experiencing. The series will continue the third Thursday of each month.

FEB. 21 MMC HEART EVENT Join the free MMC Heart Event in the Garrison Café at Murfreesboro Medical Clinic (1272 Garrison Dr.) Thursday, Feb. 21, from 5:30–7 p.m. MMC registered dietician Sydney Elliott and nutritionist Devon Cox share nutrition tips and demonstrate exercises sponsored by MMC Weight Loss. RSVP required; find more information on the heart event at mmclinic.com or call 615-867-8100.

FEB. 22 LADIES NIGHT IN

“WEDDING DRESSES” Grab a group of friends and join Oaklands Mansion (900 N. Maney Ave.) for Ladies Night on Friday, Feb. 22, from 6–8 p.m.

Walk through the vintage dresses with sponsor Karen Whitaker, a stylist for Ruby Ribbon, showcasing innovative products that seamlessly combine fit, function and fashion. Tickets are $10 each and can be pre-purchased at oaklandsmansion.org.

Explore women’s history, fashion history, cultural history and the history of the community. For more information, contact 615893-0022 or mb@oaklandsmansion.org.

FEB. 23 HEALTHY TENNESSEE HEALTH FAIR Healthy Tennessee is hosting a free Health Fair and Food Distribution event on Saturday, Feb. 23, from 10 a.m.–1 p.m. at Shelbyville First Church of the Nazarene (834 Union St.). Take part in free health screenings for all ages, health-focused exhibitors, drawings/giveaways and food distribution. For more information, visit myhealthytennessee.com.

FEB. 23 BUTTERFLY CONCERTO The Butterfly Lover’s Concerto comes to Murfreesboro through the MTSU Center for Chinese Music and Culture on Saturday, Feb. 23, from 8–9:30 p.m. at Hinton Hall at MTSU (1439 Faulkinberry Dr.). This classical Chinese musical tale of love and loss features erhu virtuoso Wei Xiaodong performing with the MTSU Symphony Orchestra. An outstanding performer, Wei graduated from China’s leading music school, the Central Conservatory of Music.

Admission is free. For more information, visit the MTSU Center for Chinese Music and Culture Facebook page at CCMCMTSU.

of grapevines with Professor Tony Johnston at the Rutherford County UT Extension at Lane Agri-Park (315 John R. Rice Blvd.).

Pruning takes place from 9:30–11 a.m.

Dress for the outdoor weather conditions, wear gloves and bring clippers and a tarp.

For more information, contact 615-6639744 or lisabrent124@gmail.com.

ONGOING ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS Attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings weekly at 435 S. Molloy Ave. (off of Bridge Ave.). Meeting times include 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Sundays; 6:30 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays; 10 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays; and noon on Saturdays. For more information, contact 270-293-5201.

MONDAYS ONGOING FITNESS CLASS Sports*Com (2310 Memorial Blvd.) hosts ongoing (New Year) New You Class classes on Mondays from 10:15-11:15 a.m. By the end of the year, your body should be balanced, strong, flexible, and better than ever. All classes may include mat/floor work, stretching, body weight exercises, light weights, bands, foam rollers and massage balls. Topics include back health in April, May and June; foot health in July, August and September; and myofascial release in October, November and December. For more information, contact adavidson@murfreesborotn.gov or 615-895-5040. Admission is $4 or free with facility pass.

TUESDAYS HEART OF TENNESSEE TOASTMASTERS The Heart of Tennessee Toastmasters is an international organization devoted to helping others advance their communications and leadership skills. Through participation in a variety of roles at each meeting, learn better listening skills, critical thinking, goal setting and public speaking. Meet at 7 p.m. on the first, third and fifth Tuesdays of each month at Keller-Williams Realty (450 St Andrews Dr.). For more information, visit heartoftennessee.toastmastersclubs.org.

WEDNESDAYS BORO2SQUARE RUNNERS Boro2Square Runners is a running group for individuals interested in running and socializing with other runners. Weekly runs begin at 6 p.m. each Wednesday, starting from the Boulevard Bar and Grill, 2154 Middle Tennessee Blvd. Distances covered are 3–5 miles, with runners of all paces welcome to participate. For more information, visit facebook.com/boro2square.

WEDNESDAYS WRITERS GROUP The Murfreesboro Writers Group, comprised of local writers who seek to improve their work through mutual critique, meets every Wednesday at Linebaugh Library (105 W. Vine St.) from 6–8 p.m.

You might hear science fiction, poetry, alternate reality, memoir, fantasy, mystery, literary fiction, or more. For more information, find Murfreesboro Writers Group

GRAPEVINE PRUNING On Saturdays throughout February volunteer can participate in the MTSU and Rutherford County Master Gardeners pruning

CHESS CLUB The Murfreesboro Chess Club meets each Thursday at 6 p.m. at First Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 907 E. Main St. Chess players of all levels are invited to come meet and play against other local chess enthusiasts. For more information, email murfreesborochess@gmail.com or call 615-713-9256.

FRIDAYS FREE FINANCIAL FRIDAYS PUBLIC EDUCATION Join Free Financial Fridays (live webinar available) from 9 a.m.–5 p.m. at 120 E. Main St. #310 (third floor). Learn budgeting, credit building, debt consolidation, home buying, refinancing and building wealth. Contact info@naltm.com or visit naltm.eventbrite.com.

SATURDAYS HISTORICAL SOCIETY OPENS RANSOM SCHOOL The Rutherford County Historical Society invites everyone to visit Ransom School (717 N. Academy St.) Saturday mornings from 9 a.m.–noon and discuss history while enjoying a cup of coffee. Bring old photos and memorabilia, and leave with a better understanding of, and appreciation for, your past. Volunteers needed. For more information, visit rutherfordtnhistory.org.

ALL MONTH This year’s Girl Scout Cookie sale runs through March 3. Girl Scouts and their enthusiastic supporters have sold these icons of American culture for more than 100 years.

Find booths at Kroger, Walmart, Save-A-Lot, Jr.’s Foodland, Sam’s Club, Lowe’s, Stones River Mall, CVS, Kid 2 Kid, Hair Five-O, Auto Zone, Advance Auto Parts, Bumpus Harley-Davidson and other locations around town. Download the booth locator app for other locations or visit girlscouts. org. For more information, contact 931842-0124 or serviceunit153@gmail.com.

BLACK HISTORY CELEBRATION

SATURDAYS

THURSDAYS

GIRL SCOUT COOKIE SALE

FEB. 24 Participate in the Black History Celebration at Journey Pointe Church (1267 Middle Tennessee Blvd.) on Sunday, Feb. 24, from 11 a.m.–2:30 p.m., with an AfricanAmerican art exhibit from Ernest Newsom’s private collection of over 100 artifacts, paintings and prints. Some are available for sale. Enjoy live music and refreshments. All are invited and admission is free. For more information, visit ernburn76@hotmail.com.

on Facebook, call 615-893-4131, email sayhello@murfreesborowritersgroup.com or visit rclstn.org.

ALL MONTH LONG MONDAYS EMBRACE LIFE Embrace Life equips single moms in learning spiritual and practical ways to help navigate their way through life while using the Holy Spirit as their compass. Meetings are Monday nights at the Experience Community (521 Old Salem Rd.) from 7–8:30 p.m. For more information, visit experiencecc.ccbchurch.com.

LIVE MUSIC Find out where at boropulse.com/calendar

ALL MONTH LONG KARAOKE AND TRIVIA Find out where at boropulse.com/karaoke BOROPULSE.COM

* FEBRUARY 2019 * 7

Sounds

Read more about local music at

boropulse.com/category/music

All You Need Is Love: Celebrate Valentine’s Day with the music of The Beatles

MUSIC NOTES

Beatles tribute act Forever Abbey Road will perform many of The Beatles’ greatest love songs and greatest hits of all time at Hop Springs in Murfreesboro on Valentine’s Day, Thursday, Feb. 14. Celebrate Valentine’s Day with music from the band who sang about love perhaps more than any other artist—The Beatles! Tickets start at $15, and at $50 for a complete candlelight dinner package, including roasted turkey, smoked prime rib, beer of choice, an array of fresh appetizers and an assortment of desserts featuring a beer paired with Goo Goo Clusters.

Doors open at 6 p.m., and acoustic duo After Violet will provide dinner music prior to Forever Abbey Road’s performance at 7 p.m. Hop Springs is located at 6790 John Bragg Hwy. Find tickets on Eventbrite.

Murfreesboro Symphony Orchestra Presents Love Songs Through the Movies on Feb. 14 Round out your 2019 Valentine’s Day with a strings concert by The Murfreesboro Symphony Orchestra. The symphony has devoted the entire season to movie soundtracks, and on Thursday, Feb. 14, it presents “Love Songs Through the Movies.”

Dr. Jordan Tang serves as guest conductor for the concert, held at First United Methodist Church. Tang will lead the orchestra in a program including “The Marriage of Figaro,” “Love Theme From Romeo and Juliet” (also known as “A Time for Us”), “Prelude to Carmen,” “Lara’s Theme” and “Wedding March.”

“I can’t think of a better way to treat or impress your loved one,” said Jane McNulty, president of the Murfreesboro Symphony Board of Directors.

The season theme for the symphony has been a hit; the Christmas concert in December was a complete sell-out with standing room only, McNulty added.

Tang, who resides in Jackson, Tennessee, visited the symphony last year as well. He has served as music director and conductor of the Jackson Symphony for 27 seasons, and as the music director and conductor of the Paducah Symphony for 23 years. He has also worked with the Charlotte Symphony, Ozark Festival Orchestra, the Missouri State University Symphony, the Hong Kong Philharmonic, the Nashville Symphony and others. Maestro Tang has composed more than 90 original works, including four symphonies and various concerto and choral works.

First United Methodist Church is located at 265 W. Thompson Ln. For tickets and more information on the Murfreesboro Symphony Orchestra, visit murfreesborosymphony.com.

8 * FEBRUARY 2019 * BOROPULSE.COM

FEB. 2019 WED, 2/6 THE GREEN DRAGON

Muddy Boots Celtic Trio

THURS, 2/7 HANK’S

Jordan Carter

MEDIA RERUN

Fate Mcafee, Melanie A. Davis, Chloe Kimes

MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING

Tennessee Valley Winds

PUCKETT’S GROCERY AND RESTAURANT

Branden Martin

FRI, 2/8 CARMEN’S TAQUERIA

Joe West

CARPE CAFE

Chris Amsler

CJ’S

Drew Sims

COCONUT BAY CAFE

Crossroads Band

HANK’S

Bailey Rose, Jack Finley Band

HOP SPRINGS

Craig Wilson

MAYDAY BREWERY

Delyn Christian

MEDIA RERUN

Huttch, Cloudmouth, and more

CONCERT CALENDAR

LIVE MUSIC IN THE ’BORO

Burger Bar 1850 Old Fort Pkwy.

615-895-5555

THE BORO

Unlawful, The Jewel Machine

Carpe Cafe 115 Front St., Smyrna 615-984-4040

MON, 2/11 MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING

CJ’s 352 W. Northfield Blvd.

615-546-4164

Zachary Hudson; Hendley-Bevers Guitar Duo

Carmen’s Taqueria

204 W. Northfield Blvd., 615-848-9003

TUES, 2/12 HANK’S

Coconut Bay Café 210 Stones River Mall Blvd. 615-494-0504

Don Mealer

MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING

Peter Steiner; Nick Ciraldo

WED, 2/13 MEDIA RERUN

David Talley, SOS, 1995, Lincoln Layne, and more (Domestic Violence Program fundraiser)

MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING

SETH TIMBS, THE HARDIN DRAW MARCH 1 @ THE BORO (1211 GREENLAND DR.)

The Hardin Draw got its start at The Boro circa 2011 and quickly became one of Murfreesboro’s favorite Southern folk-rock ensembles. Seth Timbs played many shows at the establishment with his band Fluid Ounces and other acts. The artists converge for a Friday, March 1, for a rockin’ fun time of homegrown Murfreesboro talent.

SAT, 2/16

COCONUT BAY CAFE

MAYDAY BREWERY

THURS, 2/14

CARMEN’S TAQUERIA

HANK’S

FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

COCONUT BAY CAFE

MEDIA RERUN

MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING

Sawyer Vals

Murfreesboro Symphony Presents Love Songs Through the Movies

Joe West

Karaoke with Walker

HANK’S

Alexis Taylor, Wes Loper

Breakdown at the Bay Spencer Maige Ellisa Sun, Mandi Mapes, Paul Vinson

MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING

Faith Kelley

MTSU Symphony Orchestra

SUN, 2/24

MILANO II

HOP SPRINGS

MAYDAY BREWERY

FRI, 2/22

HANK’S

MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING

MAYDAY BREWERY

MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING

CARMEN’S TAQUERIA

MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING

Jack Popek MTSU Wind Ensemble

PUCKETT’S GROCERY AND RESTAURANT

Cassidy Daniels

THE BORO

Mark Henes

SAT, 2/9 CARMEN’S TAQUERIA

Joe West

HANK’S

Joe Hooper, Justin Dukes

HOP SPRINGS

Robyn Taylor & the Shine

MAIN STREET MUSIC

Def Leppard tribute

MAYDAY BREWERY

The WNY

MEDIA RERUN

Terminus, Friendship Commanders, Lines in the Sky and more

MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING

Honor Bands

Forever Abbey Road Jackson Harrison

MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING

The Tennessee Jazz Collective featuring the compositions of Jamey Simmons

PUCKETT’S GROCERY AND RESTAURANT

The Cleverlys

Joe West

CARPE CAFE

Miriam Hobbs

HOP SPRINGS

Americana Jam, The Jewel Machine

Joe West

CARPE CAFE

Nicholas Edward Williams

CJ’S

Drew Sims

SUN, 2/17

COCONUT BAY CAFE

CJ’S

HANK’S

Lana Mason George Dunn Americana Jam, Krystal Heffinger

Zone Status

Blake Esse, Jack Finley Band

MAIN STREET MUSIC

Rubiks Groove

MILANO II

Jack Popek

MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING

MAYDAY BREWERY

COCONUT BAY CAFE

THE BORO

MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING

HANK’S

MON, 2/18

THE BORO

MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING

SAT, 2/23

Drew Sims Karaoke with Mike DizIll Sara Simmons & Kevin Key, Derek Crider & Heather Heather

HOP SPRINGS

Tyler Powell

SUN, 2/10 The O’Donnells

MTSU Women’s Chorale

CJ’S

PUCKETT’S GROCERY AND RESTAURANT

HANK’S

Priscilla Block

HOP SPRINGS

MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING

Lana Mason

PUCKETT’S GROCERY AND RESTAURANT

CARMEN’S TAQUERIA

THE BORO

CJ’S

Parker Sellers; Aevan Armus

FRI, 2/15

MILANO II

Preston Ary

The Cosmic Collective

HANK’S

PUCKETT’S GROCERY AND RESTAURANT

Matt Nicholls

Van Halen tribute

Jack Popek Adam Clark

Pamela K. Ward

ST. CLAIR SENIOR CENTER

Uptown Country Band

THE BORO

Anthony J, Los Swamp Monsters, Thunderfrog

Sunshine Scott

Matt Lund Jazz Jam

Stones River Chamber Players

TUES, 2/19 HANK’S

Preston Ary

WED, 2/20 MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING

Paul Osterfield’s composition students

THE GREEN DRAGON

Muddy Boots Celtic Trio

THURS, 2/21

 View the Concert Calendar online at BOROPULSE.COM/CALENDAR

Delyn Christian Matt Lund

Jeremy Pinell

COCONUT BAY CAFE

Stranger Than Fiction

HANK’S

Dirt Road Daisies, George Dunn

CARMEN’S TAQUERIA

Joe West

MEDIA RERUN

McLeod, Cougar Sweat, Crease Reader

CJ’S

Lana Mason Karree J. Phillips MTSU Schola Cantorum and Middle Tennessee Choral Society; Brass Chamber Ensembles

MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING

Hank’s 2341 Memorial Blvd.

615-410-7747 Hop Springs 6790 John Bragg Hwy. 615-628-8776 Liquid Smoke 2 N. Public Square 615-217-7822

Mayday Brewery 521 Old Salem Hwy. 615-479-9722 Media Rerun 2820 S. Rutherford Blvd., 615-907-0901 Milano II 114 E. College St. 615-624-7390

MEDIA RERUN

MTSU Wright Music Building 1439 Faulkinberry Dr. 615-898-2469

TUES, 2/26

Nacho’s 2962 S. Rutherford Blvd.

615-907-2700

Sarah Hoff

Of Virtue, Owls in the Attic, Our Last Trial, and more

HANK’S

Delyn Christian

MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING

MTSU Jazz Combos

WED, 2/27 MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING

H.A. Hoffman; Jon Ortiz

THURS, 2/28 HANK’S

Hunter Girl

MEDIA RERUN

The Arkadian, Doc Isaac, The Mad Gear

MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING

HOP SPRINGS

THE BORO

Lisa Law and the Suspects

Handlebars 2601 E. Main St. 615-890-5661

MON, 2/25

THE BORO

Radical Arts presents The Vagina Monologues

First United Methodist Church 265 W. Thompson Ln. 615-893-1322

Main Street Music 527 W. Main St. 615-440-2425

HANK’S

MAIN STREET MUSIC

Zac Edington

IF YOU GO

Symphonic Band, Wind Ensemble Radical Arts Comedy Night

Puckett’s Grocery and Restaurant 114 N. Church St. 629-201-6916 Smyrna VFW Post 8422 10157 Old Nashville Hwy., Smyrna 615-459-9832 St. Clair Senior Center 325 St. Clair St. The Boro Bar & Grill 1211 Greenland Dr. 615-895-4800 The Green Dragon 714 W. Main St. 615-801-7171 The Crossroads at Trenzilore 6097 Lebanon Pk.

BOROPULSE.COM

* FEBRUARY 2019 * 9

Read more about local music at

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Lineup features Phish, Lumineers, Childish Gambino, Post Malone and much more.

KACEY MUSGRAVES

BUBBLES AT WHAT STAGE AND FOUNTAIN FUN (2) BY ALIVE COVERAGE

Sounds

BY JORDAN HALL

BONNAROO IS AROUND THE CORNER,

and the festival’s 2019 lineup has recently been announced. The festival has evolved into a slice of Tennessee tradition, filled with a slideshow of memories spent running around Great Stage Park in Manchester, Tennessee, for many attendees. Since its beginning, it rapidly established itself as one of the most anticipated festival experiences in the country. Bonnaroo 2019 boasts a bill stuffed with must-see headliners as well as upcoming artists who are getting ready to bask in Bonnaroo positivity. A few of them are entering the ’Roo for the very first time.

This year’s headliners include Phish, Childish Gambino, Post Malone and The Lumineers. This year’s bill also features The Avett Brothers, Cardi B, John Prine, Gucci Mane, Trampled by Turtles, Kacey Musgraves, Griz, Gojira and Middle Tennessee’s own All Them Witches, just to name a few.

Aside from Bonnaroo’s notorious reputation for compiling jaw-dropping lineups, there’ll be infinite ways to explore the most immersive festival playground in the 21st 10 * FEBRUARY 2019 * BOROPULSE.COM

century. Bonnaroo 2019 is packed with live music, premier entertainment, enriching activities and “next level” eats—all inspired by the trademark motto: “radiate positivity.”

Organizers, staff members, artists, vendors, partnering nonprofits and fans have all grown with Bonnaroo since the beginning. 2002 marked the start of Bonnaroo’s yearly tradition of beloved summer festivals.

A lot changed since the early years, but the festival still runs on good vibes and positive energy. The festival organizers continue to provide quality experiences for their “Bonnaroovians.” It all starts with making sure fans have access to the best amenities and supplemental resources. In 2016, the farm’s owners invested in a devoted water source to ensure plenty of water filling stations. In 2009 The Bonnaroo Works Fund was created to support multiple organizations that strive for the advancement of arts, education and environmental sustainability.

It’s the only major event in the world with its own dedicated solar array and composite waste site. Portions of all ticket revenue go towards the festival’s sustainability efforts.

THE AVETT BROTHERS

Last year, 140 tons of onsite compost accounted for just a fraction of the 351 tons of diverted waste.

There’s a ton to see at Bonnaroo for people of all ages. Parents are welcome to bring their kids along to experience a youth-friendly version of Bonnaroo called Kidz Jam. The safe haven has its own lineup of scheduled performances, interactive games, sports and art projects. Plenty of fresh water, sunblock, earplugs and safety

tips are offered to ensure children have a wholesome slice of Bonnaroo’s glowing positivity. There really is something in store for everyone.

Once again, attendees will gather around the edges of various stages, dance under the canopies of multiple tents and cross paths with friends after nightfall on the farm.

Tickets are on sale now; visit bonnaroo. com for more information.

Sounds

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David Banner to Speak at Feb. 28 MTSU Black History Month Event

Kirkwood Live, SoFar Sounds Teaming Up on Feb. 9 Secret Show Kirkwood Live has a lot piled onto its 2019 calendar. In the coming months, they have an onslaught of shows and live sessions.

Kirkwood is now working with SoFar Sounds, a live production company that specializes in organizing secret concerts. The catch is, the lineup and location are kept a secret until the day of the show. Which bands are going to be there when the lights go down? Clear your schedule on Saturday, Feb. 9, to find out!

“We love what we do, and our main goal is to keep learning so we can provide better quality services for the music community,” says Kirkwood owner/director Garret Hayes.

Kirkwood aims to provide the ultimate independent platform for rising musicians. The previous Kirkwood Live session was recorded in downtown Murfreesboro at the Walnut House, a treasured venue that is slowly making a comeback, thanks to Ricky Martini. Years ago, the Walnut House was a rehearsal space and recording studio. Kirkwood Live recently released footage from that show featuring ’50s-style rocker Fulton Lee. It also includes an interview hosted by Garret Hayes and Daniel Yocum. Followers of Kirkwood Live can expect more content around the corner.

For more details on Kirkwood Live and its Feb. 9 “secret location, secret lineup” show, visit facebook.com/kirkwoodlive. — JORDAN HALL

 ENTERTAINMENT

DJ, BINGO, TRIVIA & KARAOKE NIGHTS  SUNDAYS SAM’S SPORTS GRILL Trivia, 8 p.m.

 MONDAYS AHART’S PIZZA Trivia, 7 p.m.

HANK’S Open Mic, 6–9 p.m.

LEVEL III Trivia, 7 p.m.

JACK BROWN’S Trivia Night 7 p.m.

MT BOTTLE Bingo 7 p.m.

OLD CHICAGO Trivia, 8:30 p.m.

 WEDNESDAYS CAMPUS PUB Karaoke, 10 p.m.–2:30 a.m.

GEORGIA'S Karaoke, 8 p.m.–12 a.m.

HANK’S Karaoke, 7–10 p.m.

LEVEL III Trivia, 7 p.m.

MELLOW MUSHROOM Trivia, 8 p.m.

 TUESDAYS

SAM’S SPORTS GRILL Trivia, 8 p.m.

COCONUT BAY Live Trivia, 7:30 p.m.

STATION GRILL Trivia, 7 p.m.

NACHO’S Trivia, 7 p.m.

THE BOULEVARD Trivia, 8 p.m.

 THURSDAYS CAMPUS PUB Trivia, 8:15 p.m.

 FRIDAYS GEORGIA’S Karaoke, 9 p.m.–1 a.m.

LIQUID SMOKE DJ Night, 10 p.m.

MT BOTTLE Karaoke, 9 p.m.–3 a.m.

 SATURDAYS CAMPUS PUB Karaoke, 10 p.m.–2:30 a.m.

GEORGIA’S Karaoke, 9 p.m.–1 a.m.

MT BOTTLE Karaoke 9 p.m.–3 a.m.

NACHOS Trivia, 7 p.m.

Send karaoke, trivia, open mic and events to listings@boropulse.com 12 * FEBRUARY 2019 * BOROPULSE.COM

Rapper/actor David Banner will visit MTSU on Thursday, Feb. 28, to serve as a keynote speaker to culminate the university’s Black History Month activities.

Banner has enjoyed a successful career as a recording artist in the years following the release of his popular Mississippi album in 2003.

“The featured Black History Month keynote event is the pinnacle of MTSU’s 2019 Black History Month Calendar of Events,” according to promotion of the event on mtsu.edu.

Banner encourages his listeners to pump your black fist, and he also sings of murdering Uncle Toms, I’m crunk like I’m Lil’ John in his track “Bloody War.” Among his other other statements on race relations: I ain’t African, I’m Ethiopian, Put some royal seeds in her fallopian.

In the song “Elvis” he lays out his claim that white folks steal the music of black artists.

Lord don’t let them take hip-hop like they took rock ’n’ roll, Banner says. Em said he a God, Miley out here twerking / I walked in Def Jam, wasn’t no black folks working / Soul is Robin Thicke, Adele’s that too / Justin Timberlake is what Usher’s supposed to do / But that’s . . . just like Elvis “The MTSU Distinguished Lecture Committee seeks to elevate the campus dialogue on important current events,” its website says.

“Preference will be given to funding the appearance of well-known speakers who can bring educational excellence to our campus.”

They have found their man in Banner, who enjoys diamonds on my pinky . . . syrup fallin’ in my cup . . . a freak on my arm . . . pistol in my hand, according to his track “Get Like Me.”

In this time of tense race relations and heated political debate, the MTSU committees must feel like Banner has the distinguished message to bring justice, unity and a better society.

My shoulder hold a AK that holds enough shots / To let enough cops know that I ain’t going out without a fight, according to Banner’s song “My Uzi,” quite possibly inspired by the revered legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. himself. Other philosophical musings in Banner’s music include: put your middle finger up, and scream ‘f*** you hoes.’

The artist frequently speaks of his encounters with various bitches, hoes, freaks and strippers, and his own anatomy in vivid detail throughout his illustrious career in education and social justice, and has somehow positioned himself as a man of distinction who has earned university speaking engagements after a career of spewing what many interpret as hate speech.

Anyway, thug hip-hop culture— and its perpetuation of the ideas that acquiring Gucci, diamonds, large wheels, syrup, Uzis and dollar bills is somehow a noble thing, that women are merely hoes and an object that can be acquired, that any person in today’s America is somehow a victim because of something that may or may not have happened four or five generations ago, and its message of anger, entitlement and divisiveness—is far more detrimental and threatening to the youth in our society than are the police, politicians, the criminal justice system or white people in general.

Banner’s Distinguished Lecture will begin at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 28, in the MTSU Student Union Ballroom.

— BRACKEN MAYO

ALBUMS

BY JORDAN HALL

THE JACKILLACS

SKEETZO N’ KRYSIS

Wild Bill See, Joshua F. Smith and Savannah Wheatley are the Jackillacs. Their recently released sophomore album, Many Hats, stands on a hilltop where blues, country and garagerock cross paths. The band promotes itself as an Americana band “from the hills of Tennessee.”

Smith is a veteran string player and accomplished artist who plays bass in the band; if you can hear the windows rattle from the back of the room, it may well be him onstage. Drummer Savannah Wheatley, added to the roster later on, is a versatile performer who helps Joshua lock down the rhythm. Together, these three write music that speaks to the heart and soul.

The Jackillacs have a sound that can float through Southern valleys with ease. Bill’s vocals are unique and delicate. The gritty, fuzzy howl of his guitar is the tool for the traditional “call and response” lyrical style. His vocal style is somewhat lazy, but very enjoyable to listen to. Imagine a cool slice of butter melting over the black pavement. Everything is right where it should be, despite subtle timing and pitch inconsistencies here and there.

In certain ways, the Jackillacs lean towards modern alternative rock, which really opens up possibilities and attracts a different breed of music lover.

Fans of The Black Keys, Gary Clark Jr., Mumford and Sons or Dr. Dog would probably enjoy Many Hats. The Jackillacs are a great band, but there is almost a little too much overlap in style, as certain songs on Many Hats do sound surprisingly similar to songs from a few other bands. And as much as Bill’s voice hits home in the context of the chill tempos of the Jackillacs, it might not be for everyone.

For fans approaching the Jackillacs for the first time, check out “Naughty Girl,” “Sad Song,” “I Wrote You a Song” or “Love Is Strange.” All of them really encapsulate what the band is all about.

Many Hats is available now on Spotify.

One of Tennessee’s most twisted “shock rock” bands originated from Almaville, Tennessee. Although SkeetZo N’ Krysis calls itself a rock ’n’ roll band, the core of its sound stands on some of the most unusual forms of hard rock. Synchronize, the most recent addition to the band’s discography, displays the band’s affinity for strange and unconventional topics. It isn’t an album for the faint of heart. It’s a record for listeners with a very strong taste for a precise style of hard rock.

For those who can withstand several minutes of brutal hardcore madness, feel free to continue.

As a general disclaimer, Synchronize is an offensive album. Just about every song on the album is explicit.

Expect a borderline-uncomfortable listening experience. Things get aggressively sexual, and to an intense degree. Some of the songs are highly demeaning to women. The band presents it all in a comical style, but that doesn’t lighten things up. In fact, the delivery is a complete gimmick.

The album opens with about five minutes of scripted nonsense. Alien characters banter back and forth about some irrelevant ordeal. The dialogue brings Adult Swim cartoons to mind. Tracks like these are a nice little break when used tastefully, but it isn’t a smart move for the opening track. The five-minute narrative is just too much. The album is sprinkled with snippets like this. If bands push for this kind of creative approach, they should at least have something enticing to back it up. Instead the album is a chore to endure.

As a band, SkeetZo N’ Krysis sounds okay. The recordings on the album are another story. Overall, the mixes are messy and rough, which matches the direction of the album; however, certain elements are hard to hear clearly. The lack of sonic continuity in the production is just as hard to follow as the awkward narrative. SkeetZo N’ Krysis has a unique approach, but it’s very difficult to find a diamond in the rough.

If this is your style, enjoy it for what it is.

Many Hats

A CLASSIC OUTSTANDING

Synchronize

AVERAGE BELOW AVERAGE

AVOID AT ALL COSTS DEAD

Living

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Nature’s Aspirin Middle Tennessee Entrepreneurs Grow Willow Balm Pain Relief Cream Into National Brand

BY BRACKEN MAYO EVERYBODY HURTS, SOMETIMES. But far too often in modern society, common pain can lead to severe addiction to prescription painkillers.

“You really should try something topical before you start popping pills,” said Mike Hutsell, Murfreesboro resident and cofounder of Willow Balm pain relief cream.

While training for a half-marathon years ago and experiencing some soreness, while also observing family members and others in the community dealing with chronic pain, Hutsell and Michelle Mills set out to develop a new pain relief cream featuring 14 * FEBRUARY 2019 * BOROPULSE.COM

natural ingredients.

After trying 20 different formulations, the entrepreneurs felt like they got it right on their 21st try. Those who tested the cream—a plant-based combination of white willow bark, helichrysum, camphor, menthol, eucalyptus, lavender, geranium, spearmint and other ingredients—on their areas of soreness, reported great results. The inventors had developed a new way for the average American to combat

pain and soreness without entering the world of prescription pharmaceuticals.

Mills and Hutsell named the product Willow Balm.

Then, like so many upstart businesses, they had a great product but also a lingering question: how to sell it?

They began going door to door in Rutherford County, selling jars of Willow Balm where they could.

During that time, Tractor Supply Company, a national chain based in Brentwood, Tennessee, held an open buying day in a Williamson County hotel, which the Willow Balm founders attended.

Mills said they went into the hotel very proud of their product, but after it quickly hit them that they were competing for TSC shelf space

with brands like Laredo, John Deere, Purina and other established “big guys,” she grew a little self-conscious of the small homemade display they brought along.

However, the Tractor Supply buyers actually responded favorably to the product, saying that if it went through the FDA approval process, and if it got some proper packaging, that TSC would test it in 25 of their stores.

“The only guarantee,” at that time, Hutsell said, “was that they would test it.”

There was no purchase order or promise that they would sell much of anything, but that encounter gave Willow Balm some direction, and within a few years, 1,200 Tractor Supply stores across the country would carry Willow Balm on its shelves.

TSC has been a perfect fit for the product, the Willow Balm team says. While many drug stores have an array of medicines and pain relief products in an abundant supply where an additional one may get lost in the crowd, some Tractor Supply customers were using horse liniment products for their aches and pains prior to the arrival of Willow Balm.

“We wanted somewhere with no competition,” Hutsell said.

“We took market share from horse liniments,” Mills added.

Farmers, ranchers and rural families all across the country became a prime demographic for this Tennessee-based product, proving that there is indeed something to the relationship between the willow and physical healing.

Native Americans, Chinese and Greek people have long used bark from the white willow tree—which is related to, but a different species from, the popular weeping willow—as a medicine.

Today, many with arthritis say that the Willow Balm product has helped them overcome their pain.

“I have had severe tendinitis for a long time now and Willow Balm is the only topical pain relief cream that is fast-acting and stops the pain,” another pleased customer said.

Others say the cream relieves itching from bug bites and rashes; even say the powerful blend of essential oils help deal with congestion as well.

“We’re a small brand, but a national brand,” Hutsell said.

Willow Balm was one of only 10 winners in Burt’s Bees 2018 Natural Launchpad Cohort program, which recognized, and invested in, businesses that “honor the beauty, power and wisdom of nature.”

In addition to running the Willow Balm company, Hutsell and Mills also run Wicked Stepsister Productions, a video

production company they founded to originally create their own television commercials for Willow Balm.

Now, Wicked Stepsister also provides video and editing services for other area small businesses and bands, and is involved in producing video content for Murfreesboro country and bluegrass music expert and fan Justin Reed, local personal trainer Alex Antoine, Dewdrop Jamboree, Uncle Dave Macon Days and other individuals and organizations.

The Pulse spoke with the Willow Balm founders about their journey in developing the formula, bringing Americans a high-end natural pain relief product and reducing people’s dependence on oral pain relievers.

Murfreesboro Pulse: What challenges have you overcome in starting and growing your business?

Michelle Mills: We have overcome tons of challenges, from having no advertising budget to starting our own manufacturing company when we were in Smyrna, to growing enough to transition into contract manufacturing.

What other local businesses or people were an inspiration for you?

We had several inspiring mentors along the way. One of our first customers and mentors was Rachel Holt, a massage therapist in Smyrna, and she is still a customer to this day. When I was out knocking on doors in 2009, I walked into Natural Health Massage and Rachel was working that day. She gave Willow Balm a

try on her customers and loved it. We have learned so much from her and she’s been a guiding force in growing our company. Her business has since been renamed [Relax & Repair] and she’s become the owner.

What’s your favorite part of running your business?

Getting to talk to people who use and love Willow Balm. I don’t get to talk with the end user very much; I’m normally working with buyers who put our product on shelves. Talking to the end user reminds me of why we started the company all those years ago.

What is your advice for local business owners?

Network, participate in community events and don’t get discouraged. When things don’t work out, change your approach and try again. It took us 21 formulations to get Willow Balm right, and that process alone spanned a year and a half. . . . Don’t quit your day job until you have money in the bank.

How are you getting the word out about your business?

In years past we have run TV ads on small networks such as Heartland and Retro in order to get the word out about Willow Balm to rural customers. Now we focus on social media for reaching new customers and staying in touch with our original ones as well.

For more information on Willow Balm, visit willowbalm.com or call 1-88860-WILLO; find the product in Murfreesboro at Tractor Supply Company or Fleet Feet.

Garden Education Series

BY EDWINA SHANNON

Just Say No to Tree Topping Prune carefully when trimming proud trees IT HURTS MY EYES. It happens all over town by well meaning but misinformed individuals. They are committing a grotesque and hurtful action. For those of us who know, it is a sad time of the year: sad for the consumer who paid for the service by which they have been snookered; very sad for the living tree that was subject to tree-topping and sad for us who know better. Individuals who commit the atrocity of tree topping should never be allowed to hold a chainsaw again until they take a class in tree trimming or pruning. Pruning is not tree topping.

“A practice called topping is a severe threat to tree health and is a common problem in Tennessee. Topping is particularly visible where it has been used to reduce tree height around homes and utility lines. There is never a good reason to top a tree. Topping removes the tree’s main leader and branches, resulting in stubs and large wounds that never heal properly and greatly shorten the life of trees.

After topping, new growth is disfigured by water sprouts and weak limbs that produce a dense canopy with poor air circulation.

Insects and disease organisms thrive in this environment. For these reasons, the International Society of Arboriculture’s Arborist Certification Program does not endorse topping. Instead, certified arborists practice crown reduction and drop-crotch pruning under narrowly defined conditions,” states the UT Publication PB1619: Best Management Practices for Pruning Landscape Trees, Shrubs and Ground Covers.

Show off your knowledge and prune.

HOW DOES ONE PRUNE? First, do any pruning during the dormant season. You want the pruning scar to callus over before the growing season. So, don’t wait. Get it done by the end of February. Applying fungicide to the wound will minimize disease problems. It is an option.

Identify the branch collar in the branch crotch. As expected, the branch crotch is where the trunk and the limb meet, on the branch side. Look for the branch collar. Then

look for the bark ridge or bump. It is on the upper side of the intersecting point and is a swollen area. You might think of a knob.

Be sure your pruning shears are sharp.

Make a cut to remove a limb just beyond the branch bark ridge and the branch collar. This will be quite close to the trunk area but on the branch side. Make a clean cut.

Even if the shape and position of the tree are fine, assess the tree for structurally weak branches. First, review what the shape and the look of an outstanding specimen of the tree should be. The trees that have a wide area at the base of the branch have stronger stem structures. Then, look for branches that grew with narrower than normal V-shaped crotches. They have weak stem structure and can easily break. Remove them. Also remove the weaker of any two rubbing branches.

Thinning out some branches will allow room for remaining branches to grow. It also promotes air circulation, minimizing ideal environments for disease or fungi. The inner leaves of the tree also like to receive light.

Finally, be sure your tree has one central trunk. Choose the central trunk that is stronger or more reflective of the tree’s ideal shape and remove the other central trunk. Of course, the exception to this cut would be made for the trees that are supposed to have multiple trunks. Be familiar with your tree’s specs: ideal look, height, width and growing conditions.

When it is time to select a tree for your yard, take the same ideas with you. How tall does it grow? Are there overhead wires?

How wide does it grow? Are there structures nearby? What type of light does it want? Soil conditions? Moisture? Flowers? Fruit?

Plan to plant a tree that can grow to a ripe old age with minimum human interference.

As humans, we need to accept the tree’s natural traits and complement them. If you feel the need to change the natural characteristics of the tree, choose another type of tree. Do your research and speak with knowledgeable nurserymen to end up putting the right plant in the right place.

Living

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Murfreesboro Rescue Mission Aims to Bring First Permanent Homeless Shelter to City

BY ANDREW WIGDOR THE MURFREESBORO RESCUE Mission, a recently created nonprofit, is striving to bring the first permanent homeless shelter to the city.

The rescue mission is currently gathering finances and is shooting to open the shelter within three years. The nonprofit has located a potential property in Murfreesboro, but Rescue Mission officials say they cannot disclose the exact location at this time.

While Murfreesboro currently has some resources that can provide homeless individuals with refuge from the weather, such as the “dropin” style Coldest Nights shelter that is open during the most frigid nights of the year, and limited accommodations made available through the Salvation Army, there are few options available for those looking to transition from the streets to permanent housing. Additionally, Murfreesboro Rescue Mission Director Ed Grimes says the homeless issue in the city is increasing in scope and severity.

Grimes said that over the past five years, the city homeless count rose from 90 to 300.

“Without a shelter, we are actually perpetuating homelessness,” Grimes said.

“People say, ‘With a shelter, will people come here?’ The greater question is, ‘If we don’t have a shelter, will these numbers continue to grow?’”

As Murfreesboro grows as a whole,

the homeless population also increases.

According to 2018 U.S. Census data, Murfreesboro’s population grew by 3.8 percent between July 1, 2016 and July 1, 2017, and a Census Bureau report from 2017 placed Murfreesboro as the 10thfastest-growing city in the nation.

“You can expect more people living in poverty,” Grimes said. “As the city grows in a positive direction, you can expect negative trends as well.”

Grimes referred to Coldest Nights as Murfreesboro’s “band-aid,” providing a temporary solution to a persistent issue.

“They’re getting the job done, but there just needs to be something more permanent,” Grimes said. “If we don’t develop a shelter where the homeless can get a foothold . . . then they are going to have trouble securing a job, getting the help that they need and getting back into society.”

According to Grimes, the new shelter will work to provide emergency services to certain homeless individuals and programs that will assist the homeless in re-entering the community and the workforce, and securing housing of their own. Grimes said the shelter will be low-barrier, meaning that homeless individuals will not have to meet extensive conditions such as proper identification or drug tests.

“People say, ‘With a shelter, will people come here?' The greater question is, ‘If we don't have a shelter, will these numbers continue to grow?' ”

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For more information and progress updates on the Murfreesboro Rescue Mission, visit murfreesbororescuemission.org.

Live Exceptionally...Well!

BY JENNIFER DURAND

The Essence of Love LOVE CAN FEEL LIKE MANY THINGS all at once. Love can come unexpectedly— whether it’s at the moment you discover something new or over an extended, ripening period of time. The moment of realization can be surprising. Warm. Delightful.

Maybe even a little scary.

“The best love is the one that makes you a better person, without changing you into someone other than yourself.” — Unknown From the dictionary: love, noun 1. a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person.

2. a feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection, as for a parent, child, or friend.

3. sexual passion or desire.

Synonyms for love: tenderness, fondness, predilection, warmth, passion, adoration, affection (a fondness for others that is enduring and tender, but calm), devotion (an intense love and steadfast, enduring loyalty), like, inclination, regard, friendliness, adore, adulate, worship.

“The best love is the kind that awakens the soul and makes us reach for more.” — Unknown I have witnessed many levels of love over the years. Love that you feel for another is unique, individual and can never be replicated. It is always special in its own form.

Our idea of love starts when we are born and continues as we feel connected to others. Sometimes this is not pretty, and it takes more life experience to grow into a broader idea of what love can be. When you listen to your inner wisdom, what you feel inside will guide you to what is right for you.

Sometimes love is temporary, bringing a burst of joy or creativity to life. It fills a need at the right time—it can be as simple as a smile that reminds you of all that is good. It can be a look that says “it’s okay. Everything will be alright.” Love can be having someone by your side as you navigate life challenges and changes, or someone who goes out of their way just to make a difference in your day. Love is also expressed with patience, understanding and support. Giving space to 20 * FEBRUARY 2019 * BOROPULSE.COM

another to let them find their way or asking for space so you can find yours is love. Love inspires you to put others first because the joy you feel when this is reflected back is vibrant, satisfying.

You experience love when another is unselfish, considerate, thoughtful, kind or compassionate. It doesn’t mean you will spend eternity together, but you will grow in unexpected ways each time love is expressed.

Remember to love yourself. Love is reflected in love. Honor yourself by showing up for you. Make time for yourself, make a date with yourself—to do things that make you feel good or lifted up. You don’t need another person to make you feel complete. You have all you need within you to love and be loved.

“Love when you’re ready, not when you’re lonely.” — Unknown Love can also last a lifetime. Love can transform, morph or deepen with someone as you share a life path together. We learn from each other when we are open, honest and committed to another. It is a privilege to co-create and co-exist. It is the best way to foster a deeper connection within ourselves.

Celebrate your relationship with others— whether it’s just a moment in time or a lifetime—and celebrate yourself as you allow all the teachers (anyone you learn something from) to reveal who you are—the very essence of love.

“You’ll never be too much for someone who can’t get enough of you.” — Unknown Jennifer Durand is the owner and operator of The Nurture Nook Day Spa & Gift Shoppe. Learn more by calling (615) 896-7110 or visiting nurturenook.com.

Food

The Dish RESTAURANT

Pho Viet

LOCATION

1722 S. Rutherford Blvd., Murfreesboro

All About The Broth

PHONE

629-201-8180 HOURS

Tuesday–Friday: 11 a.m.–9 p.m.; Saturday–Sunday: 10 a.m.–9 p.m.

PRICES

Medium pho tai nam gan (steak, flank and tendon soup with noodles) or pho tai bo vien (steak and meatballs): $9.99; Medium shrimp fried rice: $9.99; Spring rolls (2): $3.50; Banh mi cha lua (sandwich with pork sausages): $4.50; Cam bo luc lac (stir-fried cube beef and veggies served with rice): $12.99

Find Nice Soup, Noodles, Banh Mi and More Vietnamese Cuisine at Pho Viet STORY BY BRACKEN MAYO

A

cross from the Publix on Rutherford Boulevard, in a shopping center with an Asian market, Subway, and tobacco and beer store, is Pho Viet, quite possibly Murfreesboro’s premier spot to partake in the cuisine of Vietnam.

Pho Viet opened In January 2018 and offers a menu packed with all sorts of Vietnamese words like nam, tai, gau, gan, sach, com and thit, along with one that many area customers do know: pho. For those still unfamiliar, pho (pronounced “fuh”) is a Southeast Asian soup with lots of rice noodles, generally containing some combination of herbs, meat and veggies.

Luckily for most patrons, the Pho Viet menu contains details on each dish in English. Upon closer examination, most of the pho offerings feature various combinations of beef products such as rare steak, brisket, meatball, tendon, tripe and flank. For example, the pho tai nam gau includes rare

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steak, well-done flank and flat brisket. The pho tai sach includes the rare steak and tripe, and pho bo vien translates to meatball soup.

“I see a lot of pho in my future,” Denelle Christine Bratcher said after discovering Pho Viet. “Try this place!”

She said she could drink the delicious broth with or without all of the various goodies that Pho Viet offers, which include bean sprouts, large leaves of basil, limes, soy sauce, chili sauce, fish sauce, sriracha, hoisin sauce and more.

While most of the pho selections are beef based, the menu does also contain a chicken pho and a seafood pho.

The steak and meatball pho came loaded with onions, both large pieces of white onions and small pieces of green onions, and the broth was very herb-y, sweet and tasty.

While it did not contain a great deal of spice, a small amount of the chili sauce on the

table can change that quickly.

Kenny, the Pho Viet owner, sometimes is at the restaurant by himself, taking care of both kitchen and serving duties.

“Be patient on those days,” Sherry Osinga posted in a review, going on to say the pho has “such good flavor.”

All of the tables contain containers with chopsticks, forks and spoons—spoons with nifty hooks on the end to keep them from falling into the massive bowls of goodness— so there are plenty of ways to get the broth, noodles and meat from the bowl to the mouth (though some say having the utensils remaining on the tables throughout the day could raise some sanitation concerns). Diners receive a large plate of bean sprouts with some lime, basil and a few sliced jalapeños prior to getting their meal.

Alex Charles calls the soup at Pho Viet the “best pho I’ve ever had by a long shot.”

Another recent guest to the eatery said to be sure you like a heavy cilantro flavor if you order the chicken pho, and that she felt it needed a little more texture. Although she didn’t care for the bean sprouts offered, the soup eater

requested some peanuts to give the pho a little crunch. In addition to the flagship product, the restaurant offers spring rolls, fried egg rolls, fried wontons, fried rice dishes and other Southeast Asian favorites at the eatery.

The banh mi (sandwiches) are popular as well, and contain cold cuts, head cheese or Vietnamese pork sausages—or all of the above—or with grilled chicken or grilled pork.

Another Pho Viet diner recently said she enjoyed the head cheese banh mi and that the “crispy-crusted bun” gave it a mark of distinction.

“My go-to dish has been bun bo hue. It’s a spicy Vietnamese beef noodle soup that is not quite as popular as pho, but shouldn’t be overlooked,” Kelly K. posted on Yelp. “This noodle soup has vermicelli noodles and is sweet, sour, salty, spicy and has a robust broth . . . it’s a very authentic dish with coagulated pork blood,” she adds, so it may not be for everyone, but “this dish is certainly not available at any other Asian restaurant in the ’Boro.”

Some consumers say that other area Oriental restaurants have pho that is just as tasty as that at Pho Viet, and offer better

service and atmospheres.

Mary, who says she has lived, worked and eaten in Southeast Asia, and does her “fair share of cooking and reading about Lao and Thai food,” said she wasn’t impressed with the modest Murfreesboro restaurant.

“The pork was not good quality,” she reported. The fried egg rolls were “terribly greasy and boingy. . . . When I see this treatment of egg rolls, I am immediately on guard.”

After sampling the hu tiew cam bang—soup with shrimp, pork, liver and heart—the reviewer said that “this stuff had been frozen, rendering them dull and off-putting.”

She continued that the mii sua kaow “was too expensive for the lack of attention to detail and very poor execution. The broth was thin and not hot . . . too sweet, lacking in depth. The shrimp was not fully cooked, still coldly opaque.”

She found “the straw that broke the camel’s back,” within mi xiaxiu. “The pork had an unhealthy fuchsia edge.

I assume it was something fake added to approximate braised pork,” Mary said.

“I couldn’t fight the creeping realization that hygiene may be a problem here,” she added.

Still, despite some concerns over speed of service, cleanliness, flavoring, pricing and freshness of ingredients, the eatery has earned mostly positive feedback from the Murfreesboro community over its first year in operation, a place where the noodle-heavy pho is clearly the star of the show.

Some diners hesitate to pay $10 for a bowl of broth and noodles, however flavorful it is, but light on the meat. But if you need something warm and brothy on cool day, if you don’t know how to cook soup, or if you just don’t feel very well and need something hot and nourishing, give it a try.

“Just good food that’s good for ya,” Bruce Shelton put it simply.

Art

 EXHIBIT

Oliver Langston’s Art on Display in Cannon County The Arts Center of Cannon County will feature the work of J. Oliver Langston throughout January and February 2019 in its Cannon Hall Gallery.

The fun and colorful exhibit, called “Exuberant Distraction,” features a range of subjects, styles and techniques. The artist used a variety of mediums including acrylic, metallics, tissue paper, paint chips and more in creating the 62 paintings exhibited.

Approximately half of the paintings in the exhibit come from Langston’s “Visions of Gulf Shores, Mississippi” series, capturing the vibrancy of the Gulf Coast.

The Arts Center of Cannon County is located at 1424 John Bragg Hwy., Woodbury.

For more information, visit artscenterofcc.com.

Feinstein Photos on Display at MTSU Baldwin Gallery The MTSU Baldwin Photographic Gallery presents photographic works by Gloria Baker Feinstein through March 8. The exhibit, Hope in All Things, features images from several ongoing series created throughout Gloria’s impassioned life in photography.

All of the works—some in color, some in black and white, some made with film cameras, some made and manipulated digitally—share an underlying sensibility and quality of hope, encouraging the viewer to embrace the promise of wonder, time and innocence.

Feinstein is a fine art and portrait photographer based in Portland, Oregon. Her work has been included in exhibitions across the country and can be found in the collections of the High Museum of Art, the Center for Creative Photography, the University of Kentucky Art Museum, The Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, The Portland Museum of Art and the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. Her published book titles include: From the Heart: A Mosaic of Memories, Among the Ashes, Convergence and Kutuuka.

MTSU Baldwin Photographic Gallery is located in the Bragg Media and Entertainment Building, Room 103. An artist lecture and reception will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 12. Baldwin Gallery is open Monday–Friday, 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. For more information, visit baldwinphotogallery.com.

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Art

 EVENT

Clockwise from right: “Chrysanthemum” by Royce Vaughn; “Yawn” by Cynthia Sullivan; “Key West, FL” by Brette Leonardson

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Boro Art Crawl Returns in February With Dragon Dance The Boro Art Crawl returns to downtown Murfreesboro venues on Friday evening, Feb. 8.

The event, held the second Friday of every other month, gives area artists the opportunity to showcase and sell their work while bringing additional visitors to local shops. Attending the Art Crawl is always free, and guests can visit any of the participating stops at their own pace. Additionally, many of the hosting businesses offer food, drink and additional entertainment. Work on display at the Boro Art Crawl includes paintings of various styles, jewelry, photography, drawings and more.

The MTSU Center for Chinese Music and Culture will join the festivities in February with a dragon dance on the Murfreesboro Public Square, as well as martial arts demonstrations and Chinese music. This will commemorate the Chinese lunar new year, and the beginning of the year of the boar.

This will be the second year that the Chinese Center has partnered with the Boro Art Crawl.

Dr. Mei Han, director of the Center for Chinese Music and Culture at MTSU, said last year’s dragon dance “was a great success” and that the presentation “benefits the MTSU community and surrounding community. It is also around the corner from the Chinese new year and is a celebration of their culture.”

Art

 THEATER

Students representing Center for the Arts, Oakland Middle School, Siegel Middle School, The Red Giraffe Theatre Troupe and Stewarts Creek Middle School won national awards and earned recognition at the 2019 Junior Theater Festival Atlanta, which took place Jan. 18–20. The festival united over 6,000 students and educators from 133 educational musical theater groups across the globe.

Roy Waldron Elementary Drama won a Freddie G Award for Excellence in Ensemble Work.

Siegel Middle School won a Freddie G Award for Excellence in Acting.

Stewarts Creek Middle School won a Freddie G Award for Excellence in Music.

Additionally, Marty Green was named to the Tech All-Stars, a select group of

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students who worked side by side with seasoned professionals to help run events.

The Red Giraffe Theatre Troupe student Maria Warrick-Allen also received a Freddie G Award for Excellent Individual Performance by a Female. The Red Giraffe Theatre Troupe students joined students from 13 other educational musical theater groups in presenting an opening number from Oliver Jr. at the New Works showcase.

The Center for the Arts students presented selections from Seussical Jr. for performer, educator and vocal coach Amanda Flynn and composer and lyricist Rob Rokicki.

“Center for the Arts had such great focus and ensemble work,” Flynn said.

“These students showed us strong character work—great facial expression and

Maria Warrick-Allen of the Red Giraffe Theatre Troupe received an award for Excellent Individual Performance.

wonderful voices,” Rokicki said.

Oakland Middle School students presented excerpts from Disney’s The Lion King Jr. “Oakland Middle School brought the beauty of Africa to Atlanta with their amazing performance of The Lion King,” said Kristen Singer, a music director and educator.

The Siegel Middle School students pre-

sented selections from Into the Woods Jr. “This is how you tell a story! What a great group of actors!” Singer said.

Stewarts Creek Middle School students presented selections from Roald Dahl’s Willy Wonka Jr. “Stewarts Creek Middle School has a lovely ensemble who offered us an impeccable music performance of a complex score. Iconic characters come to life

PHOTO BY JAMES BARKER

Local Students Win Awards at 2019 Junior Theater Festival in Atlanta

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 28

in New York City this summer. The Broadway Junior scouts were on the lookout for outstanding students; out of 6,600 people at the festival, 181 were invited to audition for iTheatrics resident choreographer Steven G. Kennedy.

Center for the Arts’ Zach Dame and Estella Williams, Oakland Middle School’s Sami Albakry and Noah Williams, Roy Waldron Elementary Drama’s CJ Gordon and Michelle Lopez, Siegel Middle School’s Elena Drenkhahn and Johnny Pletincks, Stewarts Creek Middle School’s Jordan Chambers and Katie Beth White and The Red Giraffe Theatre Troupe’s Kameron Bingham and Breanna Boyd were named to the Junior Theater Festival All-Stars, made up of outstanding performers attending the festival. The All-Stars performed a song during the closing ceremony for all 6,600 festival attendees.

Produced by the Junior Theater Group in partnership with iTheatrics, a leading educational theater company that creates innovative experiences and products for the public and private sector, the Junior Theater Festival Atlanta is the world’s largest festival celebrating young people and the transformative and rewarding power of musical theater.

PHOTO BY TYLER TSOUMBOS

onstage, embodied with a freshness that was sophisticated for the age of the performers. There was creative staging and it was well executed by the performers,” said Disney Theatrical Group teaching artist Paul Brewster.

The Roy Waldron Elementary Drama students presented selections from Junie B. Jones The Musical Jr. “Roy Waldron Elementary Drama offered us such a sweet telling of the story and expression of the world of the show.

They had a strong vocal performance.

Herbie and June B. Jones were charming,” Peter Avery said.

The Red Giraffe Theatre Troupe students presented selections from Once On This Island Jr. “This beautiful ensemble told us a beautiful story with a cast that ranged in ages from 8–18, yet were one cohesive group.

They had fantastic student choreography!

I was thoroughly impressed!” said Ken Cerniglia with Disney Theatrical Group.

Center for the Arts’ Annabelle Crater, Sophie Cruz and Jahnaya Thomas made it to the call-back for future Broadway Junior shoots for “how-to” choreography videos for soon-to-be released Broadway Junior musicals. The shoots will be taped

Cabaret, the Musical Onstage at MLT in February Murfreesboro Little Theatre presents Cabaret, the Musical in February.

Set in a nightclub in late 1920s Berlin, Cabaret delves into the turbulent lives of the locals as Germany succumbs to the spread of the Third Reich. A young American writer, Cliff, finds himself smitten with Sally Bowles, a singer in the club. The master of ceremonies tells the audience they will forget their troubles at the Cabaret, but their world around them is getting much darker.

Showtimes are 7 p.m. on Feb. 1, 2, 8, 9, 14, 15 and 16; and 2 p.m. on Feb. 3, 10 and 17. Murfreesboro Little Theatre is located at 702 Ewing Blvd. Cabaret is intended for mature audiences. For ticket reservations and more information, visit mltarts.com.

 POETRY IN THE BORO

BY KORY WELLS

MLT Hosts Poetry, Multigenre “Defibrillator” Show in February IN HER POEM “FEBRUARY,” Jill Osier writes, I curse this month, all it wants / to be. If the taunt of spring or mass-marketed expressions of love have worn you down, local literary events this month offer an antidote.

On Sunday evening, Feb. 10, Poetry in the Boro at Murfreesboro Little Theatre presents featured poets Matthew Johnstone and Dana Wildsmith, followed by an hour of open mic.

Currently, Matthew Johnstone is generating a lot of excitement on the area poetry scene for his work establishing The Free Nashville Poetry Library, a communitywide poetry collection and reading room also hosting readings and events like the Writer’s Gym. Johnstone is author of the collection Let’s be close Rope to mast, you Old light and four chapbooks. He also co-edits the

online creative arts journal ’Pider and hosts the E t A l. Poetry Readings in Nashville.

The poems of Dana Wildsmith’s newest book, One Light, are set mostly on her family’s acreage in north Georgia during the time of her mother’s long process of dying from dementia. She is also author of a memoir, Back to Abnormal, which further deals with environmental issues in the ever-encroaching Atlanta region, and a novel, Jumping, which explores the changing demographics of the U.S. southern border. A finalist for Georgia Author of the Year, Wildsmith has worked as artist-in-residence for Grand Canyon National Park and other sites.

Doors open at 6:30 p.m. for the Feb. 10 event and the features begin at 7 p.m. Open mic time follows. For more details, including this month’s word challenge, see Poetry in the Boro on Facebook.

“One Light” by Dana Wildsmith appears in her new book by the same title from Texas Review Press. Wildsmith is one of two featured poets appearing at Poetry in the Boro on Feb. 10.

ONE LIGHT

BY DANA WILDSMITH A single light can lead you home.

One light is all you need to break the back of night when darkness seems to weigh more than it has on all the nights before, and nothing’s as it was. Bit by bit, the lighter shades of night you used to trust have faded as you stopped believing in relief . The dark goes on forever, and begins right where you are.

But when your eyes can’t guide your steps, you learn to trust your heart instead. You rise and turn toward where you need to go, and in the dark you think you see a glimmer like a star that wasn’t there until you headed home through darkness, trusting that a light would come.

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COMING UP: THURSDAY, FEB. 7 A collaborative of local talent presents “Defibrillator,” an evening of storytelling, poetry, music and art celebrating love’s unique shape in our lives. Features include storytellers Kara Kemp, Gary Parker, Jamie Leigh Stevens and Tony Woodall; Murfreesboro Poet Laureate Kory Wells; musical guests Tara Syester, Stephen Burnette and Peyton McCarthy; and the visual creations of Delaney Fitzhugh. Murfreesboro Little Theatre hosts the event, which begins at 7 p.m.; donations benefit Poetry in the Boro and MLT. Reservations recommended; email karajkemp@gmail.com.

BY FEB. 12, register as a volunteer for the Southeastern Young Adult Book Festival Book Fest (SE-YA) and receive a free T-shirt. Also remember that this three-day event has free writing workshops for all ages on Saturday, March 8, but pre-registration is required. Business sponsors are still needed as well. Get all the details at seyabookfest.com.

SATURDAY, MARCH 2 MTSU Write hosts “Tell It!,” a storytelling workshop with Moth Grand Slam Champion Mark Lamb. Details on Facebook, or email marklambdance@gmail.com for reservations or more information.

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Movies

REVIEWS

BY JOSEPH KATHMANN

be sad if there isn’t an Oscar nomination for production design in this film’s future.

Outside of its ridiculously over-the-top sets, the film has one of the best hunks of a lead I’ve ever seen. Yes, I have a total man-

crush on the obnoxiously charming and charismatic Nick Young, played by Henry Golding. His relationship with Rachel Chu (Constance Wu) is one of the movie’s particular strengths.

Also: freaking Awkwafina! She is so good as Chu’s college roommate Peik Lin Goh. Sure, she’s basically playing herself, but herself is perfect for this role.

The best performance, though, belongs to Michelle Yeoh as Eleanor. The iconic Chinese actress holds nothing back portraying Nick Young’s mother, and her intimidating presence is felt even when she’s not onscreen.

Like I said, the story, which follows Chu to Singapore to meet her boyfriend’s family, is a bit messy and is perfectly predictable, but I could not be more fine with that. Nothing will take away the sheer fun this movie is, and Crazy Rich Asians is as good of a rom-com as any that came out in 2018.

think it’s rather safe to say he will not repeat the accomplishment with Vice. The editing is incomprehensible, discombobulating and even uncomfortable at various points.

All of this dumbfounds me. The Big Short has resonated with me far more than most films, and I have always been fascinated by the stealthy corruption of the Bush 43 administration. Vice should’ve been a grand slam!

One undeniably good thing is the acting.

Beyond Bale’s performance, you have stellar performances from the rest of the cast.

Amy Adams is a tour de force as always. I

was fascinated to learn of the power Lynne Cheney had over her husband. Her power and presence are felt right from the first scene, which also happens to be one of the best sequences of the film. Sam Rockwell does a great George W. impression, Steve Carell is great as Rumsfeld, LisaGay Hamilton does a great Condoleezza Rice and Tyler Perry continues to surprise when he feels like acting with a great Colin Powell.

The 9/11 sequence in particular allowed Carell, Hamilton and Perry to all shine brightly in their respective roles on one of the darkest days in American history.

However, that initial scene between Lynne and Dick is as frustrating as it is invigorating, as two world-class actors go at it in a tense exchange. It’s frustrating because this film does way more to tell you about Dick Cheney the man rather than Dick Cheney the ruthless VP. McKay spent way too much time explaining how Cheney and his team dealt with the legality of his overreach versus actually showing us the overreaches he made (outside of the situation room on 9/11).

As much as I enjoy watching great actors be great, it’s simply not enough to save this film from the infuriating realm of mediocrity. At the end of the day, that’s where this film, and its messy script and indecipherable editing, will forever rest.

CRAZY RICH ASIANS DIRECTOR Jon M. Chu STARRING Henry Golding, Constance Wu, Awkwafina, Gemma Chan, Harry Shum Jr. RATED PG-13

This culturally relevant film, a contemporary romantic comedy based on a global bestseller, is so freaking good! I love Crazy Rich Asians, the first film starring an all-Asian cast in over 20 years. Crazy Rich Asians lives up to its name to the fullest with a totally unapologetic and over-the-top rom-com.

Yes, it is a mess from a story perspective, but who cares when the production design is

this amazing? These Asians are not just rich, they’re crazy rich, and the production design does a phenomenal job reminding you of that basically every second. These sets are utterly ridiculous, and I love it. I’m going to

VICE DIRECTOR Adam McKay STARRING Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Sam Rockwell, Steve Carell, Tyler Perry, LisaGay Hamilton RATED R

Let’s get the obvious out of the way first: Christian Bale is really good as Dick Cheney.

Bale’s quantifiably strong performance (he added 40 pounds for the role, changed his accent again, the whole nine yards) will be justifiably discussed at great length this award’s season, and it’s already netted him a Golden Globe. But, thanks in part to an abysmal script from director/screenwriter Adam McKay, this movie is an incoherent mess; not even the terrific performances from its core cast are enough to save it.

This film is a tonal disaster. One second, we’re supposed to be really sad about something, the next we’re supposed to feel anger, the next we’re supposed to feel joy—all in three quick (and sometimes incoherent) cuts. McKay’s textbook style does not jibe with this story at all. His asides, inserted to explain difficult subjects (akin to explaining

what CDOs and sub-prime loans are in The Big Short), feel awkward and forced, and the narrator (similar to Ryan Gosling’s character in The Big Short) isn’t integrated into the actual story anywhere near as well. But the biggest offender here is the editing.

I’m not sure why there’s a huge drop-off between this and McKay’s previous endeavor. The same editor (Hank Corwin) did both films, so why does the editing from The Big Short work so well while here it feels like an unwelcome menace? In 2015, Corwin received a deserved Oscar nomination for his editing on The Big Short. But I

A CLASSIC

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OUTSTANDING

AVERAGE

BELOW AVERAGE

AVOID AT ALL COSTS

DEAD

OPENING IN FEBRUARY PLAYING THIS MONTH

FEB. 1 Arctic

FEB. 8 The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part

FEB. 13 Isn’t It Romantic

FEB. 14 Alita: Battle Angel

FEB. 22 How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World The Rhythm Section

AROUND TOWN

’BORO BUSINESS BUZZ

Tasty Table, Olive Branch Bakery, Nonie’s, Crab Fever, HomeGoods, Yoki

BY MICHELLE WILLARD TASTY TABLE and Olive Branch Bakery have joined forces on North Church Street.

Tasty Table has relocated from its Medical Center Parkway location to the former B.McNeel’s building at 215 N. Church St. The restaurant and caterer will be serving breakfast, lunch and desserts, along with a coffee bar. The desserts will be provided

by OLIVE BRANCH BAKERY, which shared space with Tasty Table at its previous location.

Good food and fun is coming to Franklin Road. A sign declaring the construction of TOOT’S WEST has been erected on the corner of Franklin Road and Rucker Lane.

NONIE’S opened at the beginning of the year at 115 N. Maple St. on the Square. Owner Cindy Marshall brings more than 30 years of baking experience with her, having owned a bakery in Arkansas before moving to Murfreesboro. Nonie’s offers a full line of pastries, muffins, cakes and cookies. Marshall hopes to set herself apart with a create-your-own cupcake.

Customers can pick their cake’s flavor, frosting and up to two toppings.

LOUISIANA SEAFOOD will be opening soon at Stones River Town Centre (a.k.a., the mall), according to recent reports.

Nearby, California-based CRAB FEVER plans to open in the space formerly home to Applebee’s. According to its website, the restaurant serves low-country boil staples like shrimp, crawfish, clams, mussels, corn on the cob, potatoes and sausage alongside a raw bar, crab legs, oysters, sliders, salads and desserts.

Also, at the mall, MILLER’S ALE HOUSE opened in January in the former TGI Fridays. The Florida-born chain is a casual sports restaurant with freshly made food that also has locations in Franklin and Chattanooga.

The long-awaited dual-concept restaurant SPINELLI’S PIZZERIA AND NICK NEWTON’S is set to open in February on West Main Street (in the space formerly known as Tempt). The restaurants will occupy the same space but serve different menus. The owners previously thought they could open in the fall, but city codes being what they are, they were delayed.

Management has said they have passed city inspections and should be open soon.

If you don’t want to wait that long, you can visit the new LITTLE CAESARS PIZZA near Riverdale High School and pick up a 34 * FEBRUARY 2019 * BOROPULSE.COM

SPINELLIS PIZZERIA

Hot-N-Ready. The new pizza joint is located at 2546 Southgate Blvd., off Warrior Drive.

As you may have noticed, one of the Oscar’s Taco Shops got a new name. Now called SO CALI TACO SHOP, the restaurant has the same managers and menu with a few new options and a new name.

Speaking of rebranding, YOKI BUFFET has opened in the old Chef Wang’s building on Broad Street. The rebranding comes after Chef Wang’s closed with little warning and was sold to new owners. In September 2018, Crystal Dong, daughter-in-law of the

CRAB FEVER

new owner, reported that the building would undergo an extensive remodel. Dong said the interior would change but the buffet menu would stay the same but with a few additions.

In other remodeling news, TASTE OF THAI on South Church Street has temporarily closed to remodel. If memory serves, the building used to be an Arby’s. According to the sign, it should be reopened Feb. 17 and then you can get another giant bowl of pho.

A new food delivery service is opening in Smyrna. WE DELIVER SMYRNA opened for business Feb. 4. According to its

website, the service will deliver food from partner restaurants from 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday–Saturday and 10:30 a.m. to midnight on Saturdays. Find out more information at wedeliversmyrna.com.

If you’re looking to own your own business and want to work long hours, CJ’S RESTAURANT is selling the restaurant business it operates in the Holiday Inn in The Gateway. The catering and room service business is “completely turnkey” and has its own staff and built-in customer base.

The owners are willing to self-finance. Call 615-964-0390 for more information.

A few years ago a HOMEGOODS was approved for the empty spot next to Stein Mart at The Oaks on Medical Center Parkway. As you may have noticed, the building hasn’t been built yet. I’m assuming it’s because construction costs have skyrocketed in the two years since the Murfreesboro Planning Commission approved it. You may have also noticed that the FRESH MARKET that was approved for the old Bed, Bath and Beyond (which moved to The Avenue) space in The Oaks also has not been built out. Why that never happened, who knows? But never fear, gentle reader. HomeGoods applied for a building permit for the old Bed, Bath and Beyond, according to recent reports.

Another shop that has been moved around has done it again for the third time.

ALL THINGS POSSIBLE has opened on Middle Tennessee Boulevard, across from Kroger. It was on Northfield Boulevard and then on Lascassas Pike occupying old grocery stores for a few years apiece. Maybe it’s found a forever home.

The new CIRCLE K at the intersection of Rutherford Boulevard and Mercury Boulevard / John Bragg Highway has still not opened for business. According to City of Murfreesboro officials, the applicant representing the Circle K is working with the Tennessee Department of Transportation to obtain a driveway permit, which would allow a connection from the gas station to John Bragg Highway. Since John Bragg is a state highway, TDOT permission is required in order for the connection to be made.

Unable to find a corporate lease, FOUNTAINS AT GATEWAY has transformed its top floor into THE VIEW AT FOUNTAINS. This new, upscale conference and event center is located on the top floor of One Fountain Plaza. Floor-to-ceiling views of the surrounding green space and Gateway Island Park serve as the perfect backdrop for your next meeting or event, so they say. It is a nice view from up there.

Local printing company WAX FAMILY PRINTING announced Weston Wax as the company’s new chief executive officer, marking the transition to the third generation of the family-owned business.

“After 53 years in business, we’ve been blessed to keep expanding and building on the foundation my father began in our garage,” said owner Kevin Wax. In 1997, Wax bought the business from his father, Nevin Wax. “With my son Weston at the helm, I am confident he will continue the family legacy of excellence in service to our clients.”

A new home decor place has opened at 1134 Commerce Park in Murfreesboro (the former location of Georgia Career Institute). Called DECORSTOP, I hear it has very decent pricing.

It is with sadness, but not much surprise, that I have to report the closing of BREAD & BUTTER SANDWICH CO. “We want to thank all of our customers for their loyal support,” Bread & Butter said in a Facebook post announcing the closure.

Dr. Zac Ditmarsen recently relocated from Minnesota to Middle Tennessee and opened ASPIRING HEALTH CLINIC of Chiropractic in the fall of 2018, near Metro Diner. He uses the Gonstead System of chiropractic, which uses thorough assessments and detects locked joints using temperature, Ditmarsen then makes spinal adjustments targeting those areas. You can find out more on his website at aspiringhealthcc.com or visit him at 803 N. Thompson Lane, suite 103A.

AROUND TOWN

’BORO BUSINESS BUZZ

BY LADIAH MARCHE THOMAS

Local hippie store opens new Broad Street location

ENCHANTED PLANTED HAS MOVED TO A NEW location in Murfreesboro and is now open for business.

Enchanted Planet is a “hippie-type store” that sells things like dreamcatchers, candles, CBD oil, sage, glass, art, clothing and a lot more. The new store, which held its opening on Jan. 18, sits on Broad Street, across from the Discovery Center and next to CVS. When visitors first walk in, right away they should be able to tell it is a very peaceful place. The aroma of incense greets you at the door. There is no need to walk around the store for hours and hours—although it is possible, looking at everything that is so interesting—because goods are displayed in a beautiful, convenient fashion. Enchanted Planted should have lots of what you need for meditation and embracing your inner self.

The owner and founder, Shaun Berbert, spoke with me and explained the history of the store and why he decided to move. He opened the store in Murfreesboro in 1994 and ever since then they’ve been selling incense, sage, dreamcatchers and other “EP staples,” as Berbert says. Since then, he has also opened another location in Manchester, Tennessee.

Berbert decided to move the Murfreesboro shop to its new location because he now owns that piece of property on Broad Street, which is one of the main factors in the continued stability of the business. The store was renting the building on Lytle Street.

He can renovate and decorate the new store however he wants. This new location is bound to bring in new customers as well as old ones.

CBD products have become a big draw for Enchanted Planet over the past years. Berbert said that before Operation Candy Crush—the infamous raid on multiple Murfreesboro businesses in 2018—his store was “one of the only places that sold quality CBD to the public.” Operation Candy Crush and the rise of so many competing stores have caused CBD sales to go down, but CBD and hemp remain a part of the store’s product line and have been shown to be very beneficial in fighting ailments such as pain, anxiety and neurological disorders. CBD is derived from the cannabis plant but does not contain THC, the chemical in marijuana that makes the user experience a “high.”

“I am proud to share the profits of CBD with others to ensure that the medicine has gotten to the public,” Berbert says. “However, until the FHA puts regulations on CBD, I would pay close attention to what you purchase. Like most things, not all CBD products are created equal.”

All in all, the shop is really a fun store and the new location is in a great place. With the range of things they carry, such as unique art, sage, tie-dye clothing, tarot cards, incense and more, there is a little something for everyone.

Berbert says that the old store will remain open for a while but that he doesn’t really have a definite plan for the future of the Lytle Street location.

36 * FEBRUARY 2019 * BOROPULSE.COM

Pay Enchanted Planet a visit at 525 SE Broad St. in Murfreesboro, or at 26 Sitz Dr. in Manchester; find the store on Facebook, or while it is still there, visit the original location at 109 E. Lytle St.

Pete Doughtie 1941–2019

Local publisher started important conversations A chapter of Murfreesboro history closed recently as Pete Doughtie, publisher of the Rutherford Reader and one of the more controversial figures in town, died on Jan. 10.

Doughtie carved himself a unique niche in the Murfreesboro media landscape.

What started as a classified and shopper type of paper in 2000 evolved into a forum for discussing the social, religious and political change that the area experienced— particularly regarding the rise of Islam in American society and the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro constructing a large mosque off of Bradyville Pike and the ensuing court battle and international headlines.

Doughtie’s commentaries and guest columnists, often warning of an organized attempt by Islamic radicals to infiltrate all aspects of society and take over the governments of every country, earned him heaps of hate mail but also plenty of praise.

The unfolding of the information in the Rutherford Reader over the years, and the community response to it, certainly made for an interesting study in free expression, religious liberty, modern political discourse

and standing for your convictions.

Some observers say Doughtie’s tale is one of a man spiraling into an unhealthy obsession with the topic of a fringe group of radicals and conspiracy theories. Others applaud the man as someone who stood true to his worldview and the American way of life in the face of extreme intolerance from an outspoken faction of the town.

He wrote of the wave of migrants coming into the U.S. from predominantly Islamic countries, and reported on groups attempting to introduce pro-Islam curriculum into Rutherford County schools. He made connections between Middle Tennessee residents and the Muslim Brotherhood and other terrorist groups and militant Islamic organizations that make no secret of their goal of taking control of governments and societies across the globe.

Doughtie documented the rise of Islam in American politics and society, predicting that more and more Muslims would become involved in public life and politics, and his death came shortly after the election of the first Muslim women to the U.S. House of Representatives.

As local mosque leaders and their affiliates continue to work to bring more immigrants into the area to add to the local Muslim population, some of their loudest

supporters hurl such words as “bigot,” “hate,” “Nazi” and “white supremacist” towards Doughtie and any who dare oppose them.

While advertiser boycotts and online chatter targeted Doughtie and the Reader, he nevertheless amped up his speech against the spread of Islam in the U.S. and drew attention to the state of human rights, free expression and living conditions in Islam-majority societies.

Doughtie’s wife and business partner, Kaye, has continued to publish the weekly paper in the weeks following his death.

According to Doughtie’s obituary, he met Kaye in first grade while the two were growing up in Virginia; their first date was in the fourth grade.

Pete is survived by four sons—three of whom, Lee, Jay and Patrick, live in Murfreesboro—and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

What the future holds for the Reader is yet to be determined, though it, and Murfreesboro, will likely not be the same without Pete’s voice.

So, keep the conversation going, Murfreesboro. Love one another, love your country, love your liberty; be courageous enough to speak, but intelligent enough to listen.

— BRACKEN MAYO

BOROPULSE.COM

* FEBRUARY 2019 * 37

Sports

ROPIN’ & RIDIN’

Lone Star Rodeo brings bulls, broncs, barrels, steers, clowns and more to Murfreesboro on March 2

BY LAURA LINDSAY THE MOST INTENSE 8-SECOND sport is just part of what you can see when the rodeo comes to town.

The Lone Star Championship Rodeo, benefiting the Down Syndrome Association of Middle Tennessee, will be held at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 2, at Tennessee Miller Coliseum.

Pre-show events for kids will include the Best Dressed Cowboy and Cowgirl Contest and the Kids Gold Rush, where participants dig through hay to find money and prizes.

Gray Essary III, of Somerville, Tennessee, won first place in bull riding in a competition in Franklin in 2018, and he will be trying to match that when he comes to Murfreesboro.

“Luck depends on the day and the bull,” Essary said. “It is exciting.”

Rodeo clown Mighty Mike Wentworth will entertain between events.

Contest events will include bareback bronco riding, saddle bronco riding, bull riding, steer wrestling, calf roping and team roping along with the women’s events: cowgirls barrel racing and cowgirls breakaway roping.

Bull riding, bareback bronco riding and saddle bronco riding are the eight-second events that pit the bull or horse against the rider.

Bareback bronco riding is a graceful event. These horses are usually lean and agile, and the rider wants to appear like he is in full control of the horse, keeping upper body control and moving his feet in motion with the horse’s action.

Saddle broncs usually buck more slowly and the rider synchronizes with the horse.

During bull riding, the bull gets scored based on how difficult he is to ride.

In steer wrestling, the rider drops from 38 * FEBRUARY 2019 * BOROPULSE.COM

a horse to a steer and wrestles the steer to the ground by grabbing its horns and pulling it off-balance.

Variations of roping are team roping, the only event that features two contestants; and breakaway roping, a women’s event that is a variation of calf roping, where a calf is roped but not thrown and tied.

The calves are maneuvered one at a time through narrow runs.

The other women’s event is barrel racing, where the horse and rider attempt to complete a cloverleaf pattern around preset barrels in the fastest time.

The rodeo will feature several contestants from surrounding counties, said Rachel Fowlkes-Boyd, general manager of the Lone Star Rodeo Company.

Lone Star Rodeo is run by the family of Preston Fowlkes Jr. After performing in rodeos for years, Fowlkes started Lone Star Rodeo more than 40 years ago. The compa-

Bull Rider Gray Essary

ny continues the traditions of competition, pageantry and family entertainment, with the entire family working together and producing over 40 events a year.

Family is an important part of rodeo.

“The best part of rodeo is the family,” said Josh Cragar of Middle Tennessee, who competes in bareback riding across the country and who has made it to the top of the world championships several times.

“We are really close. That’s the best part.”

As far as riding goes, Cragar says he has been very lucky.

“I have been riding bareback for 20 years, since I was 12,” he said, “I am successful and have been blessed.”

Proceeds from this year’s rodeo will benefit the Down Syndrome Association of Middle Tennessee.

“We are so thankful for this help,” said Tammy Crawford, project and development manager for the agency.

General admission adult tickets are $15, and $10 for ages 4–15; children 3 and under can enter for free if sitting on an adult’s lap. For more information, visit lonestarrodeocompany.com. Tennessee Miller Coliseum is located at 304 W. Thompson Ln.

HEAVY LIFTING

Riverdale Student Brennen McDaniel Reflects on Record-Setting Powerlifting Championship

BY ANDREW WIGDOR BRENNAN McDANIEL, 16, a Riverdale High School student and employee at the Murfreesboro Athletic Club, recently set world records in powerlifting.

Powerlifting combines the exercises of the bench press, squat and deadlift. Competitions recognize winners in each individual category—in various weight classes and age groups—as well as winners in total weight, calculating the lifter’s total amount lifted in all three areas.

At the 2018 Tennessee State Powerlifting Showdown, McDaniel deadlifted 415 pounds, a record in the 165-pound weight class for 14–15-year-old males.

The International Powerlifting Association also recognizes McDaniel as the world record holder in the total lift category for

Brennan McDaniel, 2018 USA National Record Holder in Weight Lifting Juniors Under 165 Pounds

males 14–15 years of age, with a combined weight lifted of 1,025 pounds.

McDaniel additionally won his weight class at the 2018 USPA Georgia State Powerlifting Championships in May 2018.

McDaniel says he competed against some really talented athletes, adding, “but I just had to stick with my training. My coach really helped me maintain my mentality during [the event].

All the hard work that I’d been putting in, seven days a week, two hours a day, paid off.”

McDaniel originally became interested in weight lifting and training when he went to a tournament to see his sister compete. During that competition, his sister, another Murfreesboro resident, set a few records herself, inspiring McDaniel to jump headfirst into the sport.

“I really wanted to be a part of that because of the individuality of it and the fact that she’s never lifted a day in her life. But, three months into it and she’s already setting records,” McDaniel said.

He trained for multiple months for his first national competition and said that he wasn’t sure what to expect once he had finally arrived.

“It was intimidating to see all those world-class lifters there and me being someone who had just been doing it for a year,” McDaniel said. “But, once I started lifting, the nerves just went away. . . . It was a really good experience.”

While McDaniel is employed at the Athletic Club, he also regularly works out and trains for competitions at the fitness center.

“They have a lot of good, experienced members that are very elite in what they do,” McDaniel said. “It’s a great place to be and a great place to work out.”

Rick Canada, the general manager of the Murfreesboro Athletic Club, stated that he’s noticed how hardworking McDaniel is and attributes the 16-year-old’s success in weight lifting to that work ethic.

“Brennan’s not your average 16-year-old kid,” Canada said. “When I hired him, I saw the work he put in day after day after day.

You just don’t see that in 15-, 16-year-old kids these days.”

McDaniel says that his participation in lifting tournaments is a great way to represent Murfreesboro, and looks forward to future competitions.

“There are a lot of talented people here,” McDaniel said. “It’s a very fitness-oriented city, and it’s great to be the one to represent it.”

BOROPULSE.COM

* FEBRUARY 2019 * 39

RUCKSTAR STORY BY SEMAJ THOMAS

Fitness journey leads Charles Rucker to launch supplement brand, PreRuck now available 40 * FEBRUARY 2019 * BOROPULSE.COM

The first question anyone should ask themselves when deciding to work out is: “why?”. Is it to lose weight, gain muscle, address a health concern, or make a career in the fitness industry as a model or personal trainer?

Charles Rucker, a former football player, asked himself, “why?” 10 years ago. This led him to Lonestar, where he started his eightyear career with them as an ambassador.

Lonestar specializes in fitness programs that focus on personal training, total body transformations and nutritional counseling.

PHOTO BY SHANNON FONTAINE

Sports

Rucker says his “initial goal was to get paid for working out . . . traveling and being in magazines.” He did just that, beginning in 2011, when he started being featured in multiple marketing ads with brands like Con-cret by ProMera Sports and in interviews for publications like OnFitness Magazine.

Rucker said he had many memorable moments within the start of his career— signing autographs at the Arnold Sports Festival for the first time, as well as sharing a booth with the legendary Ronnie Cole-

man, an American professional bodybuilder who won the Mr. Olympia title eight years in a row. Those two experiences alone left Rucker relentlessly motivated to accomplish his next goal, and pushed him harder, both mentally and physically, to be the absolute best supplement ambassador in a growing fitness industry.

Fitness is on the rise nationwide as more individuals are becoming dedicated to living healthier and longer lives through nutrition, fitness and/or sport-related activities. In the fall of 2018, Rucker advanced his career when he launched his own supplement company—Ruck Nutrition. It was an adroit step, and he thought about how much work he has put in over the years, to not only strengthen himself—in the professional, physical and spiritual departments of his life—but also to be an aid for the many other individuals he has helped along the way, with their own “why” reasons for wanting to work out.

Rucker sought counsel from seasoned peers and, after praying over his goals and carefully considering the risks, he closed a deal with a local silent partner who believed in his vision for a healthier future . . . and just like that, Ruck Nutrition was born.

When starting your fitness journey, it can sometimes be a challenge to find out what supplement brand works best for you.

Ruck Nutrition’s watermelon flavored preworkout may be the formula for you. This product is exclusively available in Murfreesboro and Smyrna at Nutrition Faktory, and in five other states in select retailers.

The supplement, known as Pre-Ruck, contains ingredients such as beet root and dicaffeine malate, which separates it from other brands. Explaining that he did not want consumers wired up for hours after working out, nor did he want them to crash afterwards, Rucker said he strategically added specific ingredients to his pre-workout, so users have a natural experience before, during and after their exercise.

“The combination of clean energy, tunnel vision focus, strength and endurance will take your performance to the next level,” Rucker said. By the end of the year, Ruck Nutrition plans to have a full line of supplements, consisting of aminos, protein and fat burners, along with a second flavor of pre-workout.

To give Pre-Ruck a try, find it at Nutrition Faktory or shop online at rucknutrition.com.

Story and photos courtesy of GoBlueRaiders.com

ALEX JOHNSON

Lady Raiders Continue Winning Ways ANTONIO GREEN

MTSU Blue Raiders Earn Hard-Fought Win Against UAB ALTHOUGH THE MEN’S TEAM has not enjoyed the success that the Lady Raiders have so far in the 2018–19 season, both MTSU basketball squads opened February play with wins against the University of Alabama-Birmingham Blazers.

A wild night in Birmingham on Feb. 2 ended with a 1-point win for the MTSU Blue Raiders. The MTSU men fought hard to earn their sixth straight win in the series against UAB by a final score of 79–78.

“This was a really great team win for us,” MTSU head coach Nick McDevitt said following that game. “I really liked how we won. . . . The things we had to do late to win that game required a tough and together team and that’s what we were.”

Coming off of a win in Murfreesboro against the Blazers just three days prior, MTSU hit five of their first seven shots in the opening minutes to go up 12–4. UAB would then open up a 22–2 run, interrupted only by a Junior Farquhar runner.

MTSU responded with a layup and a 3-pointer by Antonio Green to cut the deficit back to single digits at 28–19. The remainder of the first half proved to be a dogfight on both ends.

Reggie Scurry came up big for the Blue Raiders in the second half, scoring 10

straight points for the team.

The teams would continue to battle it out and exchange leads up until the final seconds. UAB senior Jalen Perry hit a basket with four seconds left to give his team a 1-point lead, but the team would foul Donovan Sims, whose two free throws were the final points of the game, giving MTSU the victory.

Murfreesboro native Sims finished the game with 23 points, seven rebounds and six assists.

Green tallied 28 points on the night and notched his fourth double-double of the season.

“Tonight was a great game with great pace and intensity,” Sims said. “We knew down the stretch we just had to be the toughest team.”

The Blue Raiders brought their season record to 7–16 following the game.

THAT SAME NIGHT IN MURFREESBORO, the Lady Raiders improved their record to 17–5 with a dominant defensive performance.

A talented UAB team went into the Murphy Center averaging 75.3 points scored, but found itself down 16–6 at the end of the first quarter.

“We’ve been playing pretty good defense the whole year . . . anytime you get off to a quick start, it kind of puts pressure on the other team,” MTSU coach Rick Insell said.

The Lady Raiders ripped down eight offensive rebounds in the first half, leading to seven critical second-chance first-half points, deflating some of the Blazers’ spirit.

UAB found some footing offensively in the second half, but it was too late, as MTSU came out on top, 60–44.

A’Queen Hayes finished with her sixth double-double of the season, scoring 21 points to go with a career-high 14 rebounds. Fellow senior Alex Johnson and freshman Taylor Sutton were also in double-figure scoring with 11 apiece.

One more win will make MT the 32nd NCAA women’s basketball program to reach 900 wins.

 UPCOMING GAMES

Charlotte and Old Dominion on the road Western Kentucky at home on Thursday, Feb. 14, at 6:30 p.m.

Marshall at home on Saturday, Feb. 16, at 5 p.m.

Florida Atlantic on Saturday, March 2, at 5 p.m. in Murfreesboro For more on Blue Raider athletics, visit goblueraiders.com.

A’QUEEN HAYES

 UPCOMING GAMES Charlotte at home on Thursday, Feb. 7 at 6:30 p.m.

Old Dominion at home on Saturday, Feb. 9 at 6 p.m.

Away at Western Kentucky and Marshall

BOROPULSE.COM

* FEBRUARY 2019 * 41

SPORTS

TALK

COLUMN BY “Z-TRAIN”

titanman1984@gmail.com

Tom Brady Stands Alone as the GOAT Among the Many Legendary NFL Quarterbacks THE TRAIN DADDY IS BACK, bringing sports news, life lessons and politically incorrect talk to the good people of Middle Tennessee. This world is so caught up in opinions: who is right, who is wrong? That’s why my motto is so refreshing and simple— live life following the 5 F’s: Faith, Family, Football, Food and Friends!

This article will show some love to the the Tennessee men’s basketball team, ranked number one and playing old-school ball. I will also break down some of the greatest QBs of all-time. Who is the GOAT: Greatest of All Time? Keep reading and find out!

Also, someone tell LeBron James to shut his mouth, at least until his career is over. The self-proclaimed GOAT of basketball doesn’t even have the backing of fans. Michael Jordan is the greatest ever; I mean, he can fly.

No one can call me a bandwagon fan!

Look, I may not be the loudest Tennessee Volunteer fan. I would never say I “bleed orange,” yet I do passionately love this state and all things sports. I celebrate all Tennessee sports, be it MTSU, Vanderbilt or the real UT. Right now, the Tennessee basketball program is slaying the NCAA as the program stands atop the rankings. The madness of March will soon be here. March Madness is the smartest, most exciting playoff format in all of sports. Americans across the country fill out brackets and gamble!

How good is Tennessee? This Tennessee team is reminiscent of some of the great old-school powerhouses, the ’76 Hoosiers, ’84 Georgetown, ’92 Duke and the ’96 Kentucky Wildcats. This Tennessee team is loaded with juniors and seniors, and this special chemistry 42 * FEBRUARY 2019 * BOROPULSE.COM

is helping create a unique team in Tennessee.

ESPN college basketball analyst and genius Jay Bilas stated, “They’ve got a star in Grant Williams, they’ve got an all-conference player in Admiral Schofield. They can shoot it. They’re good defensively. They’re getting better, but they’re not a team full of super talents. . . . It’ll be interesting to see how many people do fall in love with this team because they’re very good.”

I personally can’t wait to watch this team advance in the tournament. Five different players are averaging double-digit points per game, with contributing players coming off the bench. Tennessee appears to have the depth to make a big run this March.

So, let me get this out of the way: Tom Brady is, was, and has cemented his legacy as, the greatest quarterback of all time. He is the GOAT! Add up the Super Bowl championships—1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6! Then consider the longevity factor. He just won another Super Bowl at 41 years and 184 days old. I have nothing but respect for Tom Brady as the greatest ever. Do you disagree with me? Then who is the greatest QB of all time?

My favorite quarterback of all time will always be Steve McNair. He doesn’t crack my top 20 list, but he is a legend in his own right. My love for football blossomed around 1999 watching Steve McNair play. The man was exciting, broke nearly every bone in his body and nearly always suited up. He and the Titans came up only one yard shy of giving Tennessee its first Super Bowl championship.

How about a shout-out to Joe Montana?

The eight-time Pro Bowler went 4–0 in Super Bowls and was named league MVP

twice. He was the comeback kid.

Today, it’s Belichick and Brady; in the ’60s it was Lombardi and Starr. This amazing duo led the Packers to five championships.

There are many old-school fans of football who still believe Johnny Unitas is the greatest quarterback of all time. The 10-time Pro Bowler led the Colts to three titles. He was named NFL MVP three times and led the league in both passing yards and touchdowns four times each.

It’s a fact that the league has been friendlier to the offense these past couple decades and made life a living hell on the defensive side of the football. I believe Peyton Manning, Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees have all benefited from this fact. Yet I also believe all three crack the top 20.

Manning, a whopping 14-time Pro Bowler and two-time Super Bowl champ, was the smartest QB of this generation.

Aaron Rodgers may be the most talented on this list when it comes to intangibles.

Pocket passing, evading pressure, football IQ, arm strength . . . he has it all.

Drew Brees is one of my favorite players in the league right now. The 12-time Pro Bowler has led the league in passing yards seven times. Brees and Rodgers each have one Super Bowl victory under their belts.

What about Elway, Steve Young, Marino?

Elway went out in gangster style: back-toback Super Bowl victories.

Young is one of the most versatile signal callers on this list. Not only did he have accuracy, he finished an amazing Super Bowlwinning career with 4,239 rushing yards, the fourth most of all time.

When you didn’t win a Super Bowl and you’re still considered one of the greatest, you know it’s true. Dan Marino held nearly every major single and career passing record when he retired. But he was greatness without a championship.

How can I not have the NFL interception leader on this list, the most exciting player of the ’90s? Brett Favre was fun, energetic and at times reckless. The 11-time Pro Bowler won three straight MVP awards from 1995–97 and led the Packers to another Lombardi trophy. He was tough; his record 297 straight starts prove that.

Let’s give some honorable mentions: Otto Graham, Dan Fouts, Roger Staubach, Joe Namath, Warren Moon, Sid Luckman, Terry Bradshaw, Jim Kelly, Troy Aikman. There you go, I named 20 quarterbacks ranging from the 1940s to now. Signal callers that were, and are, great! With young quarterbacks like Mahomes, Goff, Watson, Trubisky and Mari-

ota up and coming, who has what it takes?

Alrighty then, let’s end this article with some liberal bashing.

First, I want to quickly voice my disgust for the way Gladys Knight and Maroon 5 were treated by so the so-called justice warriors.

Even though Gladys Knight has devoted her life to civil rights, her soul music and the city of Atlanta, she was lambasted for singing the national anthem and not standing against the NFL in support of Kaepernick.

“It’s unfortunate that our anthem has been dragged into this debate [but] I am here today to give the anthem back its voice,” she stated. I applaud her for publicly acknowledging that mixing protest with something as sacred as the national anthem is inappropriate, even after knowing she would face backlash from many.

Maroon 5 was bashed for being too white!

It’s true, the rock group was criticized by many for daring to accept the invitation to headline the big game. Atlanta holds a heavy influence in music when it comes to hip-hop. Many saying throwing Travis Scott and Big Boi on stage was a desperate move by the NFL and Maroon 5 to appease upset hip-hop fans.

Thankfully most of us have completely forgotten about Colin Kaepernick even though there are still many trying to stir up trouble through his name and infamous kneeling propensity.

YouTube the Nine Line ad that was rejected

by CBS. This ad dared to stand up for the anthem and flag. The U.S veteran-owned and operated company was rightfully upset.

This liberal nonsense, this PC culture, is becoming tiring to many Americans. When you have sports superstars like LeBron saying the NFL has a slave mentality and implying that old white men are the problem, people get mad and lash back.

When liberal leaders pass new laws on abortion and publicly announce their support for a woman’s so-called right to abort a child that has exited the womb, people lash out.

Is there really a party in America that wants its citizens to apologize for being white, that agrees with every minority protest and says it’s okay with murdering babies outside of the womb? The answer appears to be yes, and it’s the new Democratic so-far-left socialist party. Their candidates are evolving so fast on issues; God knows what crazy is coming next.

That’s it. The Train Daddy is rolling into the station. Don’t be sad that football is gone.

It will be kicking off again before you know it. Winter is coming to an end soon, and spring will be upon us. Enjoy life and make the best of your situation. Thank you to all my loyal readers. I do this for you! Choo-choo!

Opinion Intense Hatred of Trump Causes Liberals to Expose Their Insanity

T

he left’s hatred of Donald Trump has emboldened them to do something that several years ago was unthinkable. They have now mainstreamed socialism in the Democrat Party. Of course, there have always been socialists in the party. Bernie Sanders has made no secret of his socialism, but there was little chance he was going to get the nomination for president.

That’s all changing.

Kamala Harris, the Democrat senator from California, is the odds-on favorite to win the Democrat nomination for president in 2020. She’s also an unapologetic dyed-in-the-wool socialist. She recently told Jake Tapper from CNN, referring to the private health insurance market, “Let’s eliminate all of that.

Let’s move on.” Her remarks caused hardly a ripple at the other networks and warranted only passing coverage. Perhaps Kamala Harris is too liberal for even the left-wing media.

We know she was too liberal for gun-grabbing potential presidential contender Michael Bloomberg. He said her idea of Medicare for All would bankrupt America. That doesn’t seem to matter to the left. The main proponent of Medicare for All is Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. She has all sorts of radical ideas like taxing those at the “tippy top” at 70 percent and making a college education free for everyone. A recent Axios poll showed that 74 percent of Democrats would vote for her for president were she old enough to run. There’s even a movement afoot to amend the Constitution so she can run.

This sharp and open turn to the left by the Democrats is due to their perception that the country hates Donald Trump. Presuming that the Republicans will stick with him in 2020, the Democrats see their chance to lurch to the left and turn America into a European-style socialist state. Trump Derangement Syndrome has not only exposed the latent insanity that has been simmering just below

VIEWS OF A

CONSERVATIVE

BY PHIL VALENTINE PHILVALENTINE.COM the surface in many liberals, it has also exposed their true intentions.

Their hatred for Donald Trump goes way beyond anything personal. He’s actually accomplishing things Republicans have merely dreamed of. Look at the economy. Despite the continual predictions of impending doom, the economy continues to startle the experts with its robustness. Unemployment hovers near a 50-year low. Hispanic and black unemployment are both at record lows. The president jumped 19 points in popularity with Hispanics during the government shutdown over the wall. All of this flies in the face of the conventional wisdom that Trump is the most hated man on the planet. He’s the most hated man by the media and they amplify that every day, but that doesn’t make it so.

Recent polls have shown President Trump at or above Barack Obama’s level of popularity at the same point in the first term of his presidency.

That fact gets very little press.

I will be the first to admit that Trump has a nasty habit of stepping on his own message. I also believe the left continually underestimates him.

The upcoming State of the Union address will be a turning point in his presidency. I believe he will lay out a rational argument to the American people explaining just how bad things are at the Mexican border and why we need a wall. I also believe he will declare a national emergency before the end of February and we will start building that wall. Much of it will be completed in the next year and we will start to see a drastic reduction in crime and drugs and all the nasty things an open border brings. And Kamala Harris’s socialism will look like Venezuela by comparison.

“The upcoming State of the Union address will be a turning point in his presidency. I believe he will lay out a rational argument to the American people explaining just how bad things are at the Mexican border and why we need a wall.”

Phil Valentine is an author and nationally syndicated radio talk show host with Westwood One. For more of his commentary and articles, visit philvalentine.com.

SPIRITUAL

MATTERS

people, without an ounce of kindness or charity in

BY RICK him. As an old man he was MALONE all alone and bitter toward everyone, especially those who had joy in their own lives. It wasn’t until the three spirits of Christmas paid him a visit in his sleep that his eyes were opened to his wretched condition. He awoke from his nightmarish encounter a new man, determined to do something about his life.

The church is not exempt from its share of rude people. We are all broken and fall far short of what it truly means to be humane.

Followers of Jesus, like everyone else, ought not to be an offense to each other or to those society of the events of the day instead of who do not follow the same path, for it is the constant display of bickering between our calling to be peacemakers. Kindness, opposing ideologies. But this lack of civility love and civility should be what characteris evident in many other areas as well. My izes Christians, instead of backbiting and niece has three young boys, and they can be quarreling. But sometimes, instead of being rowdy and challenging at times, like most peacemakers, we buy into a culture of conboys. But my niece and her husband do a tentiousness. Recently, because of President good job loving and raising them. Recently, she was shopping in a grocery store with her Bush’s passing, I was recalling his sentiments about being a kinder, gentler nation. two youngest boys. They are one and two years old. Her one-year-old was teething and This is a noble idea, and we would do well if the world at times could see a kinder, gentler had a slight ear infection, so in discomfort Christian, one who looks more like Christ he let out a loud scream in the middle of than the contentious culture of the day. the store. While my niece was attempting Even in this admonition, I must be careto calm him down, an elderly lady who was ful to encourage in a compassionate and nearby rudely turned to her one-year-old understanding way. For I, too, struggle and said, “Stop yelling, you are hurting my with being pulled into contention because ears!” Then she proceeded to tell my niece of some things I have witnessed. Instead that mothers these days don’t teach their of seeing Christian peacemaking, I have children anything, that she had five children witnessed war-mongering and purposeful and none of them ever did anything like prejudice. Instead of acting in kindness, that. Needless to say, my niece was devasI have seen attitudes of superiority and tated. She begged for a little compassion for disdain toward others who believe differa mother who was struggling. But she got ently. Instead of carrying a banner of love none. The lady just waved her hand rudely and compassion in the name of Jesus, I have and walked away. There my niece stood, seen things perpetrated in the name of Jesus in the middle of the grocery aisle, in tears, which Jesus would have nothing to do with. questioning: “Where has all the kindness So, in the love of Christ, I encourage all of and compassion gone?” us to look at the motivation in our hearts Whether it’s simple rudeness, insenand the results of our actions as we live life sitive bullying, political badgering, or together in this world. Do not purposefully pot-stirring—at the end of that road of be an offense to others. rudeness is usually a lonely and bitter life.

It is true that the Bible tells us the Gospel Ebenezer Scrooge found this out. He spent itself is an offense. In speaking about the his life being an insensitive offense to other

A Loving Offense ONE OF MY FAVORITE Tim Burton movies is Mars Attacks! I know that sounds funny. But the tongue-in-cheek comedy about aliens invading our planet tickles my nostalgic funny bone. It reminds me of the 1950s science fiction thrillers I grew up on. One of my favorite lines in the movie is when president James Dale, played by Jack Nicholson, has a face-to-face confrontation with the leader of the alien forces. After an eloquent speech about working together instead of fighting each other, he extends a gesture of peace and says, “Why can’t we— work things out? Why can’t we all just—get along?” Of course, he soon learns civility with the Martians is a pipe dream, but I still appreciate his sentiment. Life would be much better if we could, even with our differences, work things out and all just—get along. It isn’t that difficult to do.

Getting along is one of the primary lessons of life. The Apostle Paul tells us that we should, as much as is possible, live peaceably with all: “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; . . . Do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:18–21).

Parents attempt to teach this lesson of being kind and respectful to their children.

How many times have we heard a mother say “Now play nice!” as she attempts to referee a confrontation between toddlers?

It is taken for granted that children should interact with each other in a civil, non-offensive way, and that they should keep their self-centeredness in check and not be rude or bully one another.

But maybe this is a lesson we need to teach ourselves as well as our children.

Being rude and offensive is becoming more and more acceptable in today’s society. It certainly has taken hold of our national political climate, as well as our competing news corporations. Many of us can remember a time when news was about informing 44 * FEBRUARY 2019 * BOROPULSE.COM

“Instead of carrying a banner of love and compassion in the name of Jesus, I have seen things perpetrated in the name of Jesus which Jesus would have nothing to do with. . . . I encourage all of us to look at the motivation in our hearts and the results of our actions.”

cross of Christ the Apostle Peter says, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone, and a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense” (I Peter 2:7–8) The good news of what was accomplished on the cross offends our pride. It offends our self-reliance. It offends our autonomy. It stands in opposition to our bankrupt selfrighteousness. But while being an offense to our self-sufficiency, the gospel does not have an offensive motive behind it. God did not send His Son to die for our sins because He was an insensitive bully, or because He wanted to “tick us off.” The Gospel is the display of God’s love and compassion toward our helpless condition. When Christ went to the cross, he had our best interest at heart.

So, we might say that the cross, when rightly understood, is a loving offense to our selfrighteous senses. We must let the Gospel be an offense to the self-righteousness that is in each of us. And as we share it, we must let that Gospel continue to be a loving offense, but we are never to be offensive people, especially in the way we share that Gospel. We are never to be self-righteous or judgmental.

Of all people, we who have received the compassion and love of God in Christ should be the most compassionate and loving people in this world, not only toward each other, but toward everyone. As God loved this world by sending His Son, we are to love those in this world. We should love our neighbor as we love ourselves (James 2:8).

Most importantly, an attitude of self-righteousness is offensive to Christ. The loving offense of the cross should put all our selfrighteous ambitions to rest. After all, isn’t that what the Gospel is all about? Gospel means “the announcement of good news”: not good news about what we have done, but good news about what God has done for us by sending Christ to pay the penalty for our sins. I love to share this good news with my readers in hope that faith springs to life through what I have shared and puts to death the self-righteousness we think we have a right to. If this happens, then the loving offense of the cross becomes a loving fountain of life. May I never be offensive.

May I never be a stumbling block who hides the beauty and loving offense of the cross.

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude.

It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends (I Corinthians 13:4–8).

 RECOMMENDED READING “This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America. Within the U.S., you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.” — books.google.com

Ecce Deus

Essays on the Life and Doctrine of Jesus Christ

BY JOSEPH PARKER (1867)

Ch. XI

Christ the Contemporary of All Ages Has the civilization of the 19th century rendered Christianity obsolete, or has Jesus Christ made any provision for the development of humanity? Was Christ’s merely a day’s work done in the usual order of things, or had he a reach over the ages, controlling and molding them to the very end of the world? Is the New Testament to be shelved with The Republic or The Nicomachean Ethics; or is it the life of the world that now is, with its ever-varying phases and attitudes, its storms of war and its revolutions of thought? We may be able to gather an answer from Christ’s own words.

Christ repeatedly spoke of his own “hereafter” and of the “hereafter” of the church. His criticisms and instructions were by no means confined to the past and the present; they were full of anticipation, overflowing the hour in which they were spoken and making for themselves a channel through all time. There were terms in his speech which denoted great purposes as to time, persons and moral victories—such as “unto the end of the world,” “for ever,” “every creature,” “all nations,” “east, west, north and south.” It seems to be necessary, therefore, to preserve the logical consistency of Christ’s method, that as it was “expedient” for the disciples that he should ”go away,” that some provision should be made for the expected development of human nature and the requirements of the attendant expansion and refinement of general civilization. The world would certainly become larger; could Christ occupy the extended space? The harvest would be great; was there root-room enough in Christ’s heart? Christ entirely reversed what we should have considered the proper order of things, and thus gave another check to anything like presumptuous criticism of his method of redeeming and educating the world. The common plan would probably have assumed some such shape as this—Christ must abide personally among men until the redemptive purpose be fully accomplished, not only on his part, but also on the part of the world; it will be best for

him to make short work, and to break up the present economy as soon has he has made clear what is meant by his having been given to save men; or, if he could continue the present rude structure of society, his disciples will necessarily have many questions to ask and many difficulties to overcome, and he must be continually at hand, so that the reference may be instant and decisive: when the last man is safe in heaven, and every possible spoil has been recovered from the enemy, then let Christ himself abandon the earth and take the headship of the glorified church. Instead of this, which looks so feasible and tempting on paper, Christ was actually the first to leave the scene of trial; his disciples were consequently deprived of the inspiration and comfort of a visible Christ. The poor, simple men had been called to a most trying prominence, and the man who called them took the earliest opportunity of leaving them alone in the world! Under such circumstances, how could the future be other than gloomy and portentous? The disciples were committed to an idea; they bore a name which had a bad repute among all the ecclesiastical leaders and persons of social consequence; they were to carry the cross as their characteristic badge, and to be hated by all men for their Master’s sake; as sheep among wolves, they were to make their perilous way. Knowing all this, Christ left them. Would he abandon a half-built tower? Did he leave because his resources were exhausted, or because he could better move the ages from the altitude of the heavens?

We may pause a moment to say, that men can be trained to strength only by being thrown on their own resources in certain determining crises. The parent acts upon this doctrine when he sends his son to a distant school, that he may be thrown into contact with rivals, and strengthened by daily contest with eager competitors. There is an educational element in opposition, in suffering and in provocation, and it is for very love of his child that the parent withdraws the comforts of home and places him in circumstances which will test his nerve and rouse his soul. The lad carries with him all the mingled comfort and pain of home associations, upon which his heart will draw when the stress of events is heavy upon him; in their very absence his parents will be present to him with intenser reality than ever, and the hiding of their face will bring with it a deeper disclosure of their heart. In some such way, only with infinite expansions of meaning, shall we come to know what was meant by that blank dismay which

the disciples must have felt when their Master said he intended to leave them.

It is to be noted that in all Christ’s teaching there are manifold references to the future.

Many a statement was like a sealed letter, not to be broken but by time. The life which Christ sketched was often an ideal life—beginning in a grain of mustard seed, ending in a great tree.

Again and again he hints at what shall be, and from the dim “hereafter” draws motives for immediate direction. Does not the parent help his child over today by talking of tomorrow?

It is not upon a near future that Christ dwells, but upon the most distant ranges of terrestrial experience, as a father often tells his son what he shall have when he is a man. With much detail Christ outlined the final reckoning which he would hold upon “all nations,” and from the very evening of the world drew considerations for the government of its morning hours. He thus established a practical relation between the events of all time, uniting human history by stretching the cable of a common Judgment from shore to shore. This was enough, meanwhile. He could not, considering the moral infancy of the disciples, describe every line of latitude and longitude, though each was present to his own mind; but he fixed their eye upon a distant and most conspicuous object, nothing less than himself enthroned in his glory and encircled by his angels, and bade them strike their course over the unknown but not ungoverned waters, so that they might eventually reach it. The men who had been with Christ three years, and heard from his own lips a description of the Judgment day, could not go far wrong in any question that might arise in their experience. The spirit of philanthropy was to be the spirit of judgment.

It is very remarkable that Christ should have enabled men to bring the remotest fact of time to bear upon the concerns of the passing moment. We can now make every day a day of judgment; we know the questions which will come up; we know the standard of appeal; we can anticipate our individual conversation with the Judge; we can hear his voice; we can “go away into everlasting punishment,” or into life eternal. This was a most practical provision which Christ made for the development of humanity: by giving us a Judgment-day, he enabled us to try our deeds by the very fire of the final conflagration. All nations were to come to the same judgment, and all were to be tried by one Spirit. It is then, to say the least of it, remarkable, considering how many questions Christ left unanswered, that he should have set before men the transactions of the final hour of human history. This he would not have done had he not contemplated an educational effect.

As yet, however, we have but two points, the very beginning and the very end—Christ’s personal ministry and Christ’s personal judgment: is there nothing between? Probably the strongest men might be able to traverse the distance

between those points; but the strongest men are few in number; what is to become of the hosts who are to be watched and kept like children?— men of unsteady purpose and perverted faculty of self-judgment? Christ foresaw the difficulty, and provided for it. He had given a personal ministry, and sketched the great Judgment, but how could he cover the whole line of human history between? This inquiry he answered in a sentence: “When he the Spirit of Truth is come, whom will I send unto you from the Father, he will guide you into all truth.” It may be convenient to say in detail what that Spirit is, so far as we can gather from the Christian writings: he is, then (1) the Spirit of truth; (2) the Spirit of comfort; (3) the Spirit of liberty; (4) the Spirit of love; (5) the Spirit of holiness, because the Spirit of God. Now, assuming that these statements are true, it is easy to see how Christ has provided for the multiplying wants of an expanding civilization. This Spirit fills, overflows man’s capacity, and meets, with all God-like exuberance, every possible necessity of human nature. So to speak, he surrounds man as well as dwells in him, and according to the outward circumstance as well as the inward condition his ministry is regulated. Thus in the order of revelation we have had first that which is natural, afterwards that which is spiritual; first the sacred letter, then the Holy Spirit. The ancient church was fed with the Milk of the Word, the modern church needs strong meat; “strong meat belongs to them that are full of age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to to discern good and evil.” Instead of burdening the memory with technicalities, Christ provided for the quickening of the moral faculty in man, and thus, in spiritual things, acted in relation to the human soul as in temporal things God had done. God gives man power to get products out of the soil; but instead of saying this must be eaten and that must be refused, he gives the power, call it instinct or reason, which saves him who rightly uses it from noxious plants and animals. It is better to give the faculty of discrimination than to label all the products of the earth. A spirit is better than a catalogue. There are few things in the lower range of life more remarkable than man’s instinct by which he discovers what to eat.

Every day he is called upon to choose, even so far as the body is concerned, between life and death. The life of the body is exposed to constant risk. In nearly every field there are roots or leaves which might injure or even destroy the health of the body, yet man continues to make a selection adapted to his nature. These poisonous roots are like so many temptations; they are to the body what vices are to the soul; yet, speaking generally—for the exceptions only prove the rule—man is superior to them, he refuses if not resists, and saves himself. How is this? Is there not a spirit in man, and doth not the inspiration of the Almighty give him understanding? “This also cometh forth from the Lord of Hosts, which CONTINUED ON PAGE 46 BOROPULSE.COM

* FEBRUARY 2019 * 45

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 45 is wonderful in counsel and excellent in working.” It may be asked, how has God provided for material civilization? The answer is, by the spirit that is in man; so it may be asked, how has Christ provided for intellectual expansion, and the corresponding claims which the intellect would present? The answer is substantially the same. When Christ opened the eyes of the blind, he did not require to create another universe that the vision might have an object to rest upon; the universe was there, waiting to be looked at. So the universe of truth has existed from the beginning; as there are steep hills, perilous precipices, intricate winding ways and not a few tangled forest paths, he has promised the Spirit to guide men into all truth; emphatically to guide men, the very word implying difficulty, danger, and constantly new evolutions and combinations; not only to guide, but to guide into all truth, not into some departments but into all, not into external views of truth but into its very essence, so that men might know truth under heavy disguise, and be able to eliminate it from every sophism [deceptive argument] and

every heresy. We know what it is to be so far in sympathy with the spirit of a companion as to be able to pronounce an opinion about any of his reputed actions; instantly we say such a charge or statement is true or false; so entire is our mutual accord that judgment of him is like judgment of our own heart. Our companion, if of a strong character, has put his spirit into us, and instinctively we have to come to know whether any report of him is likely to be true or untrue; we know so well his magnanimity that we resent the imputation of any ignoble deed which rumor may connect with his name, or accept with thankfulness any report which details his excellence—in this case our spirit witnesses with the spirit of the report that it is true. In a modified degree this represents the relation of Christians to Christ; that relation is so intimate, so vital indeed, nothing less than consubstantiality having been effected by eating his flesh and drinking his blood, that they can unhesitatingly determine the truth or untruth of any proposition concerning him, and infallibly distinguish between a legitimate expansion of his doctrines and a distortion of them.

The intercommunion between the spirit of man and the Spirit of God, an intercommunion re-established and enlarged by Christ, is the guarantee of purity and progress on the part of the church. By Christ’s ministry we are now elevated to the highest plane, and the words of John have a deep meaning: “The anointing which ye have received of him abides in you, and ye need not that any man teach you.” The teaching of the church does not now come from the outside; Christians have in them a well of water springing up into eternal life. They judge the preacher and the author by the anointing which they have received of the Holy One, and by their own spirit are able to try all other spirits, whether they are of God. The witness of the Spirit changes the aspect and meaning of all outward things. The Christian writings themselves are valuable in proportion as the spirit of the reader is enlightened by the Spirit that dictated them. The dead man is heedless of the sumptuous banquet: the dead soul is as heedless of the richer banquet of revelation. There must be two witnessing spirits. The sun is nothing to the blind man: give

him vision, and the sun becomes his day. Christ thus provides for details by providing for universals. He gives life, and he gives the Holy Ghost to guide life; and in these two, yet indivisible gifts, all things necessary for human cultivation are included.

The world had no adequate notion of life until Christ came; in fact, so vast

is the volume of life which he offers, that it may be almost literally said that Christ brought life and immorality to light, as things not known before; not only life and immorality as future blessings, but as present and immediately available realities.

Read unabridged at boropulse.com.